


Vindicta

by thestrikingzebra



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Swearing, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:06:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 110,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestrikingzebra/pseuds/thestrikingzebra
Summary: Pyrrha thought that this was her destiny, that she would fight against Cinder and save Beacon. But she was wrong. Fate would have other plans and now thanks to Cinder, Pyrrha lost the one person that she loved above all. The girl who was forced to always keep her emotions in check shattered, as she becomes a cold hearted warrior, lusting for revenge. She will travel across Remnant and find Cinder, no matter what it takes. She will avenge him.A what if story on what would happen if Jaune fought Cinder during that fateful night, and the effects that action would bring to the world of Remnant and Pyrrha.
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34





	1. The Fall

It wasn’t hard to understand why Pyrrha fell for Jaune. He was the only person that liked Pyrrha for being Pyrrha Nikos, the ordinary girl that went to Beacon in order for her to become a great huntress and not Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl, the Pride of Mistral and the Shining Star of Beacon. So on that first day where they met, Jaune saying that he had no idea who she was struck a harmonious chord on her heart. When she would go to the Emerald Forest for their initiation into Beacon, she would save the clumsy Jaune from falling to his doom. As fate would have it, the two were to become partners. Pyrrha really couldn’t help but admire how clumsy he was, it gave him a since of charm that most other students at Beacon didn’t have. Was it trouble for the team? Yes, it would be, but that’s something that Pyrrha can help Jaune work on. Afterall, he was made team leader for his skills in leadership and tactics.

Pyrrha can remember the first-time training with Jaune up on the school rooftop. Knowing that Jaune trusted her enough to tell her that he forged his papers in order to get into Beacon, it really made her heart aflutter that he could trust her with such information. While Ren and Nora seemed to have their own secrets that they wished not to talk about, Jaune was honest and trusted Pyrrha. That trust that Jaune gave her is something that she will never abuse. It’s a sacred thing and Pyrrha will vow to be the best friend she could be for Jaune.

When she would start training Jaune on the rooftop, she would have him start out with simple exercises to get warmed up. “Remember Jaune, keep your feet flat when you do your sit ups.” Pyrrha reminds him as she does sit ups with Jaune, knowing that he will feel more comfortable with the private training if she is performing the activities with him.

“Okay Pyrrha…” Jaune huffed as he raises his chest towards his knees. “30!” He grunted before falling down onto his back, giving a satisfied sigh.

Pyrrha would finish her 50th sit up before getting up to help Jaune up to his feet. “Amazing work Jaune, you did five more than you did yesterday! I’m so proud of the work you’re accomplishing!” Pyrrha praised, giving his shoulder a gentle pat.

“Thanks Pyrrha, I definitely do feel myself getting stronger, especially in my core.” Jaune said, giving Pyrrha a small bow.

Pyrrha would smile at Jaune and go over to the ventilation unit and pick up her weapon Milo and her shield Akouo. Pyrrha twirls the red short sword in her hand before she grabbed it with a firm grip. “Are you ready for the next part of your training?” Pyrrha asked.

Jaune would nod his head as he picked up his sword and shield, Crocea Mors, and stand adjacent to Pyrrha. “I’m ready Pyrrha.” He confirmed.

“Good. Now remember, just like we practiced. Shield up.” Pyrrha said as she raised her shield up, with Jaune following suite. “Grip tight, and don’t forget to keep your right foot forward.” Pyrrha reminded Jaune, gently nudging his right leg with the flat of her blade. “Now are you ready?” Pyrrha asked Jaune, who nodded his head in response. “Go!” She shouts as she thrusts her sword forward, letting out a war cry.

Jaune mirrored the motion, letting out his own cry, though not as fearsome as Pyrrha’s. His sword was a bit shaky when he thrusted forward, but it’s a huge improvement looking back to when he first started training. Pyrrha would then perform a horizontal slash, slicing the air as a gush of wind blows forth. Jaune follows the motion, not being able to slash as hard as Pyrrha did, but a gentle whistle of wind would escape from his blade. Pyrrha then performed a diagonal slash in the air, a small visible wave of dust creating a crescent slash that would fly forward and crash into the wall, kicking up dirt and dust. Jaune repeated the motion and when he was halfway through his slash, the sword would slip out from his fingers and fall to the ground with a clang. Jaune let’s out a small scream of frustration. “Damn it!” He groaned as he picked his sword back up, sheathing it.

“Jaune, it’s okay! You’re doing great!” Pyrrha tried to comfort the blonde knight, putting away her weapons on her back as she pats Jaune’s back.

“No, it’s not okay! I feel like I’m not improving at all! No matter how much training I’m doing, it all feels meaningless when I still can’t keep my sword in my hand.” He lamented as he stomped towards his water bottle to take a drink of water.

Pyrrha gives a small sigh as she followed Jaune, drinking from her own water bottle. “Jaune… I know all of this can be frustrating.” Pyrrha says softly, her hand reassuringly patting his back. “And that it can feel like so much effort, only to progress such a small amount, but I want you to know that…” Pyrrha paused as she turned Jaune to look her in the eyes. “I’m so proud of you. I’ve never met someone so determined to better themselves. You’ve grown so much since we’ve started training and I know this is still just the beginning.” Pyrrha told Jaune, a faint blush growing on her face. She knows how much Jaune tended to beat himself up about every little failure he made, always believing that fate was against him, but if he just had a strong shoulder to lean on when he needed it most, then he can change his fate.

Jaune would be silent for a brief moment as he takes in everything that Pyrrha has said. He’s about to say something when he heard Pyrrha call his name. “Jaune… I…” Pyrrha stumbled, trying to find the proper wording to express what she wanted to say. ‘ _It’s easy Pyrrha, just tell him that you love him and that he means the world to you._ ’ She told herself. But Pyrrha feared that she would be coming on too strong and Jaune wouldn’t feel the same way, only viewing her as a very good friend. Of course only being friends with Jaune didn’t bother her in the slightest, after all she wants him to have the best life possible and if it means that she isn’t the one for him, well she will accept that destiny. She will always be there for him, whether it be as a friend or a lover. Then if that’s the case, then why is she so scared to tell him her feelings? “I… I am so happy that I get to be a part of your life. I will always be here for you Jaune.” Pyrrha told him, holding her hands to her chest. She opens her arms and wraps Jaune in a hug, the two friends sharing their very first hug.

Jaune lets out a small gasp in surprise before returning the hug as he sighed. “Thank you Pyrrha… it… means a lot to hear you say that. I’ve never had such close friends like you, Nora, Ren or Team RWBY. And hearing you say that… it makes me believe that coming to Beacon wasn’t a mistake. I’ve always felt that fate was against me, but with you and the others by my side, I feel that I can fight back against fate and forge my own path.” Jaune said as he separated from the hug.

Pyrrha is stunned by what Jaune said, not because he called her a close friend, but because that he believed so much in her and the others that he can do anything, even change fate. She gives Jaune a warm smile that could melt the icy snow of Atlas as she gently rests her hand on his shoulder. “It means the whole world to me to hear you say that Jaune.” She told him, giving a small sigh before stepping back and taking out her weapons once again. “Now, I think we’ve had a long enough break. Let’s finish our training for tonight.” Pyrrha smiled, causing the man to give a small playful groan, getting ready to start training again. The moon would shine down upon the two as they trained, just like how the moon shined upon them on the evening of the dance.

During the long night of the dance, Jaune would uphold his promise to Pyrrha, as he showed up in a white dress that was surprisingly form fitting. Pyrrha thought he wasn’t serious about this promise, but it caused her to laugh with a snort when he showed up. Pyrrha would hold out her hand for Jaune giving him a small bow. “May I have this dance milady?” She asked in a deep masculine voice.

“Of course, sir!” Jaune replied in a falsetto, taking Pyrrha’s hand as they went to the dance floor, the two laughing along the way. The partners would dance and spin, enjoying this one free time where they can forget about being hunters and huntresses in training, forgetting about the harsh realities of the world and forgetting about the one final exam that Professor Oobleck has planned for them on Friday. It was a time where they can be kids and enjoy their youth.

As the night went on, Pyrrha would lead Jaune to the balcony that overlooked the beautiful garden, the shattered moon shining upon them as they leaned over the railing. The balcony was made out of stone, with a intricately designed stone railing. The garden that rested below the balcony was filled with a variety of flowers, ranging from many different colors and breeds. The flowers were arranged in such a way to resemble two axes, their blades pointing on opposite ends of each other as two strands of wheat rests below the handles. This is none other than the emblem of the Kingdom of Vale. Jaune takes in the beautiful sight and gives a relaxed sigh. “Isn’t the view beautiful Pyrrha?”

“It sure is Jaune. The moonlight really enhances the look.” Pyrrha said as she stared at Jaune, a faint blush on her cheeks.

“I agree. It amazes me how something so simple and fragile such as a flower could be so beautiful when it’s given the proper care and love it needs.” Jaune told her, running his hand on the cool stone railing.

“Yeah…” Pyrrha said as she looked out at the garden. “They remind me of you.” She told him, causing the blonde-haired man to look at her with a questioning look.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s like you said, a flower needs proper care and love in order to become as beautiful as it possibly can be. When you first started attending Beacon, you were just a seed, not knowing what your potential could be. But as the months went by, you got the proper care from all your friends and now you’ve blossomed into a beautiful flower warrior.”

“Well I think a lot of that is thanks to you Pyrrha. You took the time and patience to train me and thanks to you, I’m stronger than I’ve ever been, and I’m only going to get stronger.” Jaune told her, his hand continuing its journey across the stone railing. His hand would graze over Pyrrha’s causing him to jerk it away with a small blush. “S-sorry.”

Pyrrha only smiled warmly at Jaune. “It’s fine Jaune, I didn’t mind.” She said, gently moving her hand towards his. With a few moments of hesitation, Jaune places his hand next to Pyrrha’s allowing her to rest the palm of her hand on top of his. “But I can’t take all the credit Jaune. Ren, Nora, Ruby, Weiss and all the others helped you grow so much as well. I’m simply one of the many gardeners that helped make you who you are now.”

Jaune gives a small laugh. “You shouldn’t be so modest. You’ve done so much more than all the others have, more than you could ever know.” He smiled, looking up towards the moon.

“And you’ve done so much for me too Jaune. You were my first true friend. You saw me as a normal girl, not some celebrity like Weiss and all the other students do, but just a normal human being that didn’t stand out from the crowd. I’ve never experienced that before, and your friendship is one of my most precious treasures as I know it’s not something that I can easily get.” Pyrrha lamented as she looks over at Jaune.

Jaune looks back at Pyrrha, a soft look in his eyes. “Pyrrha…” He mutters.

“Jaune…”

The two students’ faces would slowly close in on each other. They both close their eyes as they get closer and closer, almost touching until… “Hey Jaune! Pyrrha! We’re doing the chicken dance! Stop talking and come on!” Yang called out, bursting through the balcony door, causing the two friends to jump back, faces bright red. “I worked so hard on this dance and god damn it we’re going to have an all school chicken dance! Now I just gotta go find Ruby.” Yang said as she heads back down to try to find her little sister.

“Well… shall we go join in then?” Jaune asked.

“Yes, let’s. I’ll have you know that I’m quite the expert in the chicken dance.” Pyrrha giggle as she walked with Jaune back inside. She’s trying to get what almost happened out of her head, knowing that because of Yang’s interference, the mood was broken and became awkward. ‘ _Thanks a lot Yang!_ ’ Pyrrha internally screamed.

“Well I’m the master of the chicken dance! You know there could be only one! In this school that is.” Jaune chuckled a bit nervous as his mind was still racing about what almost just happened.

“Well let’s see what the others think. They’ll decide on who the master of the chicken dance is!” Pyrrha smirks as the two get on the dance floor to have fun for the rest of the night. If only such peaceful and happy nights such as this could last forever, but alas all good things must come to an end.

When Cinder, The White Fang and the Grimm would attack Beacon, Pyrrha would attempt to fulfil her role and become the new Fall Maiden, only for Cinder to be able to get the powers of the Fall Maiden first. The campus of Beacon was a battle ground that was filled with many Grimm and White Fang members, all fighting against various students and guards. Pyrrha could have even sworn that she saw some of the Atlas Military bots fighting against the students of Beacon as well. Before her stood the tall tower of Beacon, at the top was Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon’s, office. Where Ozpin’s office is was a giant dragon Grimm and Cinder, the woman who organized this entire attack. Standing near the entrance of the tower, Pyrrha would start making her way towards the doorway, determined to fight against Cinder as she feels that it’s her destiny. 

“Pyrrha! Please don’t go! You need to get to safety!” Jaune cries out, holding her shoulder to prevent her from going any further.

Pyrrha breaks free from Jaune’s grip and turns around to face him. “Jaune… I’m sorry but this is my destiny. I need to do this!” Pyrrha said firmly, her grip on Milo tightening.

“No you don’t Pyrrha! You don’t have to follow destiny! Destiny and fate shouldn’t control what you do in your life! You should be allowed to make your own decisions and forge your own path, fate be damned!” Jaune pleads, his eyes tearing up as he knows the risk that Pyrrha faces by going up to fight Cinder.

“Jaune... I have to! How am I supposed to sleep peacefully at night knowing that I ignored something that I could have prevented? If I go up to fight Cinder right now, I can save countless lives by defeating her! But if I don’t go and evacuate for my own safety, all those lives that I could’ve saved will be gone!” Pyrrha shouts, tears running down her cheeks. She knows that going up to fight Cinder is a death sentence, but if it means that more people can be saved by her distracting Cinder and the Dragon Grimm, then it’s worth all the risk.

“I know this Pyrrha… but how can you save more people if you’re dead? With your death, there will be one less hero in this world.” Jaune tells her, trying his best to convince her to stay.

Pyrrha pauses as she tries to think of something to say. “Jaune… I know you can take my place. You can fill my role as a hero, you can become the Pride of Mantel. Because you’re strong Jaune. Not just strong but determined. No matter what hardships lay in front of you, you push through, wanting to see the end. It’s that determination that allows you to change and fight against fate. It’s what I admire the most about you Jaune.” Pyrrha said as she walks closer to Jaune.

Jaune’s hand trembles for a moment as he knows what he has to do now. He grabs Pyrrha by the shoulders and kisses her on the lips, catching the spartan off guard. Pyrrha was absolutely surprised by Jaune initiating the kiss when she was just about to kiss him herself. Pyrrha closes her eyes as she wraps her arms around Jaune’s chest, kissing the blonde knight back as she let’s out a happy hum. All of the memories she has with Jaune come flooding back into her. The first time they met, the night where Jaune confessed his dark secret to her, the food fight, the night of the dance, it all fills Pyrrha’s mind, as she gets lost in the kiss. To Pyrrha, reality didn’t exist anymore. The only things that existed were her and Jaune.

It’s unfortunate then, that Pyrrha would be forced back into reality with a thud as she finds herself shoved into a locker, being too caught up in the kiss to notice Jaune calling for the locker on his scroll. The knight closes the door on the distressed spartan, her mind finally processing what just happened. “Jaune! What are you doing!” She sobs, banging against the door to try to break it open. Her mind was racing with fear, for if she had a calmer mind, she would know that her semblance could break open the door for her. Tears were fogging up her vision as they flow down her cheeks like a river, scared for Jaune’s life.

Jaune puts in some coordinates on the locker and looks at Pyrrha through the vents on the door. “I’m sorry Pyrrha. But this won’t be the day that you die. I will not allow that to happen.” Jaune said softly, wiping his tears away as it breaks his heart to do this to her. He stands back as the rockets start up. “It’s time for me to be a fucking hero.” He says.

With those final words, the locker launches into the sky, heading towards it’s coordinates at high speeds. “JAAAAAUUUUNNNNEEEE!” Pyrrha screams out as she watches him fade away into the distance. As she bangs against the locker, she remembers that her semblance can allow her to go back to him, if she can just reposition the rocket to do so… Pyrrha closes her eyes to try to activate her semblance. A black aura surrounds the locker as it slows down in its path. Attempting to move it back towards Jaune proved to be a challenge however, as the rocket was too strong for her to fight against it. After several more minutes of struggling, she would end up breaking her concentration as the thrusters were just too strong for her to fight against. She gives up as she cries loudly to herself, knowing what will happen to him.

Jaune, watching Pyrrha fly away from him, gives a heavy sigh before heading into the main hall of Beacon, drawing out his sword and shield. He heads towards the one functional elevator that was left, pressing the button to head up to the remains of Ozpin’s office. As he rides up the elevator, countless thoughts run across his head. Was this the right thing to do? Is he really prepared to handle this? Won’t he just die the moment he steps out of the elevator? Jaune shakes his head, dismissing the thoughts as his face shifts to that of determination. Cinder knows that he will be an easy target. So perhaps she will toy with him instead? If that’s the case, then there’s a chance that Jaune can win this. He needs to outsmart her, and with her not taking him seriously, that will be an easy thing for him to do. Having a plan, Jaune hears the beep of the elevator as the doors to Ozpin’s office opens.

Before Jaune, he sees the ruined room of the headmaster’s office, large gears were planted into the ground to the right of Jaune. To his left, a large stone wall was broken into pieces and rubble, the glass windows that encased the rest of the office was shattered. All over the floor were various cracks, rubble, shards of glass and even a few gears. Cinder was looking through Ozpin’s desk trying to find something, only to hear the doors of the elevator open behind her. She gives a small sigh, as she knows who it is, knowing that this is just another pest to get in her way. But to her surprise however, it was not the red-haired girl, but instead it was that blonde-haired boy that was with the girl. The wimpy looking one. She gives a smug smile as she looks at Jaune. “I suggest you leave boy. You know that you won’t win this fight. Killing you would just be a waste of energy.” Cinder taunts as a small flame ignites in her hand, before firing a fire ball at a wall beside Jaune, causing it to crumble. The Grimm Dragon looks at Jaune and let’s out a roar, ready to kill him only to be stopped by Cinder. It respects her command and stands back, staring at Jaune with mild curiosity.

Jaune was caught off guard, a bit startled by the attack before straightening himself out, standing firm against Cinder. “I won’t leave. I will defeat you Cinder and save Vale.” Jaune said, staring down Cinder, determination burning in his eyes.

Jaune’s words only caused Cinder to laugh at the boy. Does this wimp really think he can take down her, the Fall Maiden? This must be the most hilarious joke ever! The Grimm Dragon too looked surprised by Jaune’s determination. If it could laugh, it most certainly would. As Cinder calms herself down, she stares at Jaune as two blades of glass form in her hands. “Do you really think you can defeat me boy?” She asks with a taunting smile. Jaune only nods his head, his grip on his sword tightening, raising his shield and putting it in front of him, his right foot forward. “Oh! It would seem that you are serious, well I might as well humor you. Afterall, I do need a test dummy to use my newfound powers on.” Cinder laughs as she rushes in with her twin daggers.

Jaune would block the first slash of the dagger with his shield, and out of the corner of his eye he sees the second one heading straight towards his neck. He raises his sword to parry the blow, causing Cinder to stumble back. Jaune capitalizes on this opportunity and bashes Cinder with his shield. She lets out a small grunt as she jumps back and slashes the air, creating flames which hardened into glass spikes. Jaune raises his shield and was able to block three of the five glass spikes, only for two of them to hit his thigh, shattering on impact as his aura weakens slightly. He runs around the room, looking around to see if there’s anything he can use to his advantage.

Cinder chases after Jaune with her daggers, flames crackling on their edges. She cuts Jaune off as she releases a fury of rapid swipes. Jaune uses his shield and sword to block and parry the slashes, Cinder moving too fast to be able for him to capitalize on the brief moments that she’s open to attacks. He stays on the defense, walking back as Cinder keeps up the pressure. When she would raise her right dagger to perform a vertical slash, Jaune raises his shield in anticipation for the attack, leaving his mid-section open. Seeing the weak spot, Cinder tosses the dagger into the air before slashing his stomach with her left dagger, causing the knight to hiss in pain, lowering his guard as he stumbled back. Cinder smiles as she catches the dagger she tossed in the air and slashes his chest, hitting his aura. She would spin her daggers in her hand as she continues to slash at Jaune, showing the boy her expertise in fighting. Gripping her right dagger, she stabs his chest three times, each stab going lower and lower until she reaches his stomach with her fourth stab. After the stab she throws her other dagger into the air and holds out her left hand in front of Jaune’s face, the tattoos on that arm glowing yellow as flames form in her hand. With a smirk, Cinder fires a pillar of flames into Jaune’s face, causing him to fly back into a wall, his yellow aura dispersing.

Jaune hits the wall with a thud, grunting as he tries to get back on his feet, using his sword as a crutch. His aura is gone, this isn’t good, but he can’t give up just yet. He can’t let Cinder defeat him this easily. He sees Cinder’s glass high heels slowly approaching him, looking up from her feet to her face, he sees the dark-haired woman, an evil grin plastered on her face. “I must say, you did surprise me a bit. You’re not as weak as I thought you were, but it still doesn’t matter, you’ve been defeated and I’m going to finish the job.” Cinder taunts as she puts her daggers together into a bow, forming a glass arrow as she pulls the string back.

Jaune looks at the arrow that is getting ready to be fired at his chest. This can’t be the end! Not yet! He still has fight left in him and he knows this! He closes his eyes as he tries to think of a last-minute strategy. As he does so, he feels himself getting stronger and stronger. His exhaustion disappears as he feels like he had a full night’s rest. When Cinder fired the arrow, Jaune blocks it with his shield, glowing bright yellow as his aura not only returns but strengthens. It would appear that Jaune has discovered his semblance! With newfound vigor, Jaune stands firm and shouts “I refuse to fall!” before rushing in to attack Cinder.

Cinder was surprised with Jaune’s sudden second wave of energy and didn’t have enough time to block Jaune’s attacks, taking three slashes across her chest, her aura nullifying a lot of the damage. Cinder would then feel the air taken out of her lungs as Jaune hits her in the stomach with the pommel of his blade, before swatting her away with his shield. Cinder skids across the floor, landing on her back before jumping back up onto her feet. “I underestimated you. I won’t make that mistake again.” Cinder says as she breaks her bow back into twin daggers.

Jaune gives a smile, knowing that Cinder views him as a worthy opponent. He then spots a large crack in the floor near Ozpin’s desk, a plan forming in his head as he remembers what kind of shoes that Cinder is wearing. He would then see Cinder rushing towards him, Jaune getting ready to defend himself from her strikes. He would be surprised to see that Cinder slides down onto the ground, underneath his shield as she kicks Jaune’s legs, causing him to get launched into the air and fall onto his back with a thud. Cinder quickly jumps up and creates a large sword made of glass and raises it over her head. Jaune was able to roll out of the way from the stab that would have hit his neck if he stayed put. Cinder gives a grunt as she attempts to stab at him again and again, Jaune being able to roll away from each attempt. Cinder tries to take a stab Jaune yet again, raising her sword higher into the air, but this time when Jaune rolled out of the way, the sword would get stuck in the ground as she tries to pull it out. Using this free time Jaune gets back onto his feet and rushes into Cinder, slashing her thigh.

Cinder gives a frustrated grunt as she quickly reforms a dagger to block the other sword swipes with it, abandoning the large sword that’s in the ground. Cinder had no time to go on the offensive as Jaune attacks Cinder with force, causing her to start walking back as she defends herself from his rapid and heavy strikes.

Jaune doesn’t give up the attack, despite him knowing that she can defend every single one of his blows. But hitting her wasn’t his plan. He just needs her to be forced back. As Jaune continues attack, his sword creating sparks as it clangs against the glass daggers. A small crack starts to form in the dagger as Cinder is pushed back more and more. As she takes another step back, she feels her heel falling lower than the rest of the ground, the stiletto getting caught in the large crack on the floor as she starts to fall backwards. Jaune smiles as he gives another powerful vertical strike. When Cinder would try to block it with the dagger, the blade would only break through the glass, his blade hitting her chest, leaving a large gash on her, being able to go through her aura and seriously wound her. When the tip of Crocea Mors was near the ground, Jaune would thrust it into the floor, getting stuck as he uses the sword to flip over Cinder, who was falling backwards. Once behind her, Jaune lets out a loud war cry, his shield glowing yellow as he swats Cinder forward. Upon doing so a loud “SNAP” was heard following Cinder screaming bloody murder as she feels her bones in her ankle crack and shatter from the sudden change in momentum. The black-haired assassin is sent flying towards the large glass sword that was still stuck in the ground. The edge of the blade slashes against her left arm, leaving a long gash down the side of her forearm as the blade breaks from the large impact, shards of glass imbedding itself into her arm.

Cinder screams in agony and frustration as she bounces into a giant gear with a loud thud, leaving behind a trail of blood. How can a simpleton like him get the upper hand on a powerhouse like her? How?! It can’t be possible! She’s a Maiden and she’s supposed to have great strength and power that is above those of other humans and faunuses! Her red aura flashes brightly, showing that it’s close to breaking. She gets up on her foot, the wound on her chest and arm oozing blood down onto the spot she stood, standing on one leg as she keeps her broken ankle in the air to avoid putting pressure on it. The wounds on her chest and arm start to close thanks to her aura, and she removes the glass shards out from her left arm. Anger and fury grow on her face as she stares down at Jaune with intense hatred. “You brat! I will kill you!” She screams, losing her composure as rage takes over her mind.

Jaune is unphased by Cinder, in fact he’s quite happy about her entering a rage. It just means that he will be able to outsmart her even easier. He twirls his sword in his hand as he gets back into his ready stance. “I want to see you try.” He taunts with a smug grin.

Cinder gives a loud grunt and a scream as an amber flame forms around the corners of her eyes. She lunges herself forward with force, using flames to propel herself. She would clash against Jaune with a blade made of flames, then again with one made of lightning. Jaune stays on the defensive as he blocks every single blow, keeping an eye around the room to come up with another strategy. He spots that Ozpin’s desk is close to the edge of the room. Hitting her through the desk will cause her to fall of the tower and allowing him to claim victory. With his plan made, Jaune continues to defend himself against Cinder’s barrage of rage filled attacks. When he goes to parry the lighting blade, he’s surprised to see that it went through his sword and slashed his chest, an electric shock coursing through his body as he cries in pain. But he has to take this pain, he can’t fall now. He needs to overcome the pain and wait for the golden opportunity to strike.

Cinder continued her barrage, making powerful and fast strikes against his shield before creating seven large glass spikes behind Jaune. With a tilt of her head, the glass spikes pierce into his back, causing him to scream as each spike embeds itself into his back before breaking. When he screamed in pain, he lowers his shield as Cinder takes this golden opportunity to strike at him with all her might, her swords tearing into his armor, leaving large gashes across his chest plate. With one final slash, the chest piece breaks off and falls to the floor, exposing his chest and the icon of the cartoon bunny, Pumpkin Pete, the mascot of the identically named sugary breakfast cereal. If Cinder weren’t so enraged, she would laugh at this revelation and mock him for still being a child, but wrath is all that’s on her mind right now. She continues her attacks, slashing his stomach and chest before kicking him in his gut with her foot, the glass heel piercing into him as he gets sent back into the elevator’s door, leaving a large dent in it.

Jaune gives a pained grunt as blood drips onto the floor, getting up with a stumble as his aura flashes brightly, showing that it is close to being broken. Yet despite that, it still performs its job at healing his wounds, though it wasn’t able to heal some of the wounds on his chest completely, a small trail of blood leaking onto his black hoodie. But despite the situation that he’s in, Jaune won’t give up. Victory is just within reach; he just needs to reach forward and grab it by the throat.

Cinder seeing Jaune still standing despite all the abuse he’s suffered gives a laugh as her rage dies down. “That girl, what was her name… Pyrrha. She must have trained you, didn’t she? Training you to kill just like how she killed that robot.” Cinder taunts as she limps towards Jaune.

“She didn’t kill Penny! You did! You controlled Pyrrha to kill Penny with your subordinate’s illusions.” Jaune shouts, slashing the air with his sword.

“While yes that is true and, in a way, I did kill her, but to the common people, and what everyone saw, Pyrrha killed Penny. They’re too dumb to figure it out otherwise.” Cinder says with a smile as she brings her hand to her chin. “People are like lambs. They’re dumb, idiotic and will believe anything that a person says. They get themselves into danger and often times ends up killing themselves due to their own stupidity. That’s why they have shepherds, to watch over them and keep them safe. You hunters and huntresses are the shepherds to these lambs, but I am the wolf. The wolf that will kill your flock to satisfy my hunger.” Cinder lectures to the knight. “And when a wolf can’t kill a lamb, they will kill the shepherd.”

Jaune grunts from pain as he stares down Cinder. “It’s the shepherd’s job to protect the lambs and defeat the wolves. That’s why they carry such large staffs. Even if it costs them their life, they will fight to protect the flock!” Jaune shouts as his aura starts to build up in his shield and sword, before rushing towards Cinder. He slashes with his sword and bashes with his shield, but Cinder expected this and is able to parry and block all of Jaune’s blows. The two lock blades, Jaune pushing their blades down to their waists as they push against each other. The two warriors stare at each other intensely, anger on Cinder’s face and determination on Jaune’s. “They will protect the flock by any means necessary.” Jaune says as he throws his head back and headbutts Cinder right on the nose, causing her to lose her grip on her glass sword stumbling back in pain as blood runs out of her nose. Jaune holds his shield up, the shield glowing brightly with his aura and soon a big pulse is emanated from his shield, hitting Cinder square in the chest, launching her back as she crashes into Ozpin’s desk, shattering it on impact.

Cinder is laying down near the edge of the tower as she watches Jaune walking over to her. Her eyes dilate in rage as she snarls at Jaune. “You pathetic knight! You have no idea who you’re messing with!” She screams with wrath.

“I know who I’m messing with. A lone wolf that refuses the help from it’s pack.” Jaune says as he kicks Cinder in the stomach, causing her to get pushed off of the tower. Cinder lets out a loud scream as she falls. Jaune, watching Cinder fall causes him to smile as he turns around to face the Grimm Dragon. However, as Cinder fell, a smug smile grows on her face, the woman is far from defeated.

As Cinder and Jaune fought, the locker that Pyrrha was locked in finally landed near an Atlas air shuttle that was getting boarded by various students. The shuttle was parked at the entrance gate of campus, far away from the tower. The surrounding area had lots of fallen trees, pillars and stones, having suffered from the rampage of the Grimm. Landing with a loud crash and a thud, Pyrrha stumbles out of the locker and onto her hands and knees, looking at her surroundings. What she sees in front of her horrifies her. Ren and Nora are supporting each other, wounded from the battles they were in. Yang was missing an arm and rendered unconscious and Blake was no where to be seen. She spots Ruby and Weiss who went over to Pyrrha to help her up. “We have to get him!” Pyrrha cries out, tears running down her face as she tries to run towards the tower.

Ruby and Weiss were able to hold her back. “Pyrrha, calm down! What’s going on? Where’s Jaune?” Ruby asks, noting that it’s odd that Jaune isn’t with Pyrrha.

“He’s up on the tower fighting Cinder! We need to save him!” Pyrrha cries, desperation in her voice as she doesn’t want to lose him.

Ruby and Weiss give each other a determined look at each other, already knowing what they need to do. “Pyrrha, you need to stay here. You won’t be able to make it in time. Combing my semblance with Ruby’s will let her reach him in time.” Weiss says, trying to comfort Pyrrha the best that she could.

By this point, Ren and Nora have limped over to Pyrrha, the two of them hugging her tightly as they’re just happy that she’s okay. “Please Pyrrha, you need to stay here. We’re all being evacuated.” Nora tells her, burying her face into Pyrrha’s shoulder, letting out a small sob.

Ren breaks away from the hug and pats Pyrrha’s back. “You need to keep calm Pyrrha. You can’t let your emotions get the better of you.” Ren advises as he rubs her back.

Pyrrha is staring at her two teammates with tear filled eyes. She wipes them away as she looks over at Ruby. “Please Ruby… please save him and keep him safe. I’m counting on you.” Pyrrha said as she starts to calm down thanks to the help of her team.

Ruby nods at Pyrrha, determination shining in her silver eyes. “I promise Pyrrha. I will bring Jaune back safe.” Ruby said. A trail of snowflake like glyphs, the symbol of the Schnee family show up in a straight line in front of Ruby. The trail goes all the way to the base of the tower, stopping before running up the wall of the tall tower. Ruby takes a deep sigh, mentally preparing herself before taking out Crescent Rose and turning into a ball of rose petals as she dashes at high speeds towards the tower.

Pyrrha watches Ruby take off, saying a quick prayer for her and Jaune’s safety. She needs to have faith in Ruby. ‘ _Jaune will be okay._ ’ She thinks to herself. ‘ _Jaune will be okay._ ’ She repeats, trying to comfort her mind. ‘ _Ruby will keep him safe. Jaune will be okay._ ’

Back at the top of the tower, the grimm dragon breathes a flame of darkness at Jaune, who is able to block the dark flames with his shield, slashing at the dragons neck to attempt to wound the foul monster. His focus was completely on the grimm as he pushes against the force of the flames with his shield. When the dragon stops to prepare another breath attack, Jaune bashes its nose with his shield causing it to throw its head back, stunned for the briefest of moments. When it regained its focus, the beast builds up another breath. Jaune, preparing for another attack, holds his shield up, bracing for impact.

However, nothing ever came. He looks up from his shield and sees the grimm patiently staring at him. The next thing Jaune would feel is a burning pain across his back, followed by a forceful shove, launching the knight forward. Catching his footing, he turns around and his eyes widen in horror as he sees Cinder, floating above the ground as flames orbit around her. “What? B-but how?” Jaune asks in disbelief. He saw her fall! There’s no way that she should be able to fly!

“I’m a maiden. Flight is one of the powers granted to us.” Cinder explains. Jaune stares at her in disbelief before rushing in towards her, letting out a war cry, ready to slice off Cinder’s head. However, she raises her arm and catches the blade in her hand. The metal on the blade glows a bright orange before melting in Cinder’s hand. The molten steel falls onto the floor with a loud hiss, smoke raising up from the orange goop.

Jaune looks at his sword in horror, the weapon broken and useless. He tosses it aside and raises his shield. Cinder gives a small laugh as a ball of flame forms in her hand. She closes her palms around the ball, bring her arms down to the side of her body before opening her palms, thrusting her arms forward with force. From her hands comes a bright orange beam of flames. The beam hits Jaune’s shield, the piece of metal doing its job protecting Jaune, until it to starts to glow bright orange. The steel melts into goop in his hands, causing him to hiss in pain from the molten steel hitting his semblance. As the shield melts, the beam breaks through and hits Jaune square in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards. He cries out in pain once more as glass spikes pierce through his feet, preventing him from being able to escape.

Cinder has a sadistic grin on her face, as she makes a glass stake appear behind Jaune. She creates a rope of flames which tighten around him and hardens into glass, preventing Jaune from being able to move. Cinder snaps her fingers as a large pillar of flames erupts from where he was standing, engulfing him in a burning fire that rose to the sky.

Ruby sees the pillar of flame and lets out a worried scream as she goes as fast as she can. She can do this. She’s a huntress and it’s her job to save people. Ruby will save Jaune. She has to! Not only for herself, but for Pyrrha. She can’t fail!

Ruby would soon reach the base of the tower and start her journey up, hearing Jaune’s screams of agony. “Hang in there Jaune… I’m almost there!” She said to herself as her semblance wears out, forcing her to run along the glyphs on foot.

The burning that Jaune feels all over his body hurts more than anything he’s ever felt in his life! It hurts more than all of his falls, it hurts more than all of the shots to the chest he took during sparing lessons, it hurts more than breaking Pyrrha’s heart! No… nothing will ever hurt more than that. Not even the flames of hell that are currently engulfing him.

Cinder would snap her fingers once again as the flames disperse. Jaune’s skin and clothes were charred as the yellow aura around him breaks away. It tries to come back, flashing ever so briefly before sizzling away, his semblance not being enough to make it return. Cinder gets rid of the glass that bound Jaune, causing him to fall to his knees in front of her. Cinder lands on the ground, her ankle having perfectly healed thanks to her aura. She stares at Jaune with an evil smirk. “You want to be a hero so bad? Then you shall die like one.” She growled as a glass bow forms in her hands.

Jaune looks up at Cinder with a pained expression, panting heavily. This is the end for him. But you know what? He made it this far. He was able to beat Cinder down and force her to use all of her power on him, a weak boy who had more brains than brawn. Everyone has escaped by now, all thanks to him keeping Cinder and the grimm dragon distracted and focusing on him. He gives a small quiet sigh as a small smile grows on his face. “Do you believe that fate can be changed? That as long as you’re determined enough, you can destroy the path that was set for you and make your own?” Jaune asks.

Ruby is so close to the top of the tower. She’s so close! She can save him! Ruby knows she can!

Cinder pulls the string back on her bow, forming a glass arrow. “I don’t. Fate always favors its original course. Fight against it all you want, but fate will always force you back on it’s intended path.” Cinder said firing the arrow towards Jaune.

Time feels like it slows down as Ruby reaches the top of the tower. She stares in horror as she watches the arrow fly from the bow and into Jaune’s neck, blood squirting out from where it punctured his skin. She was too late. She couldn’t save him. She failed.

Jaune let’s out a pained gasp, choking on his own blood as he reaches his hand up towards the arrow. By this point, blood was flowing out of his neck, a thin trail running down and onto his hoodie. He sees Cinder walking towards him as she puts her hand on the side of his head. The tattoos in her arms glow as a burning sensation flows through Jaune’s body. Slowly Jaune turned to embers, as he thinks back on everything. He doesn’t regret his actions. He’s so blessed to have been able to live the life that he had. While he may be gone, he knows that Pyrrha has the strength to fight on in his name. Jaune’s last thoughts weren’t of his family, his friends nor his dreams but of Pyrrha. He never got to tell her that he loves her. Never got to become a huntsman with her. Never got to start a family with her. But… despite how short it was, having Pyrrha in his life was the best thing that’s ever happened to him. With that final thought, Jaune’s body completely turns into embers before extinguishing into a pile of ash. All that remained of the fallen knight was a tattered and bloodied hoodie.

Tears flood Ruby’s eyes as she sees her friend die right in front of her. She… failed… she wasn’t supposed to fail! Jaune’s dead… and it’s all her fault for not making it on time. Ruby gives a sad grumble as she grabs her head in pain, feeling something coming forth. “G-geh…. GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!” Ruby screams as silver colored fire bursts forth from her eyes, soon becoming a bright white light.

The light engulfs the grimm dragon, letting out a cry of pain before falling silent. Cinder, seeing this flash of light consuming her screams out. “WHAT THE HELL?!” Before she too is engulfed in the light. The next thing Ruby knows is darkness as she falls to the ground unconscious.

A dark-haired man wearing a black cape and grey button shirt, who was currently helping the students get onto the carrier, sees the white light, immediately recognizing it. It’s no other than his niece. “Ruby…” Qrow uttered as he made a mad dash towards the tower, praying for the best that Ruby is okay.

Pyrrha saw the light too and sees Qrow racing towards the tower. She blinks for one brief moment and Qrow was suddenly gone. What remained in his place was a crow, flying towards the tower. Pyrrha gives a small whimper, her cheeks stained with tears, hoping that this means Jaune is safe. He has to be safe. Ruby was there and she must have saved him with that bright flash of light. She holds onto that hope, closes her eyes and let’s out a small sob. “Please…” she utters. As she cries, she sees two brown maple leaves that were attached to a small twig fall on the ground in front of her. She stares at them for a brief moment, watching them dance on top of the stone floor. With a powerful gust of wind, one of the leaves breaks away from the twig and flies away in the wind. Pyrrha knew what happened, but her foolish beliefs is preventing her from accepting it, still holding on to what little threads of hope remained.

Twenty minutes would pass by as Pyrrha was the last one to remain, not yet on the shuttle. Weiss has been taken back to Atlas by her father in his personal jet. Yang was taken to the closest hospital that wasn’t in shatters to be treated for her wound. Ren and Nora boarded the carrier and are waiting for Pyrrha at the evacuation point. When Pyrrha looks up towards the tower, she would see Qrow slowly walking towards the gate, appearing to be carrying someone. Pyrrha’s eyes light up in hope, believing that Qrow is carrying Jaune, only to be extinguished when she sees the familiar red hood that belonged to Ruby. Her heart starts to crack, her hope dying. It can’t be… no perhaps Jaune is still on the tower and Qrow could only carry one person back. Yes, that has to be it. There’s still hope!

When Qrow would approach Pyrrha, she could see sorrow in his eyes. “Pyrrha… I…” he pauses as he puts Ruby down onto a stretcher. A few emergency pilots immediately took Ruby and put her on the transport ship, starting to check on her vitals. Qrow looks over at Pyrrha and gives a small sigh. “Cinder is gone and the grimm dragon has been turned to stone.” Qrow says with a heavy sigh.

“W-what about Jaune? Please is he okay?!” Pyrrha cries as she takes a small step towards the professional huntsman staring at him in desperation.

Qrow avoids eye contact from Pyrrha, giving another sigh as he pulls out Jaune’s hoodie. Tattered, burned at the ends, and stained with blood. “This… was the only thing that I could find… Pyrrha… I’m sorry.” He told the girl, trying his best to avoid direct confrontation. He’s never been good with these kinds of things.

Pyrrha takes Jaune’s hoodie with trembling hands. She stares at it, trying to say something only for words to escape her. She falls onto her knees, staring at the hoodie, tears starting to run down her cheeks. “No… it can’t be…” Pyrrha sobs, sniffling as a small whimper escapes her lips. “W-where’s Cinder?” She asks Qrow.

“There was no trace of her save for a stone arm. She must have escaped during the confusion.” Qrow said flatly. He sees Pyrrha’s shaking figure, thinking that it’s best to give the girl a few moments to herself. He needs to see if Ruby is okay.

When Qrow went to the carrier, Pyrrha did the impossible, she broke. The invincible girl was not so invincible anymore. All of her years of pent up emotions, feelings that were held back so that people’s vision of her wouldn’t shatter. The burden of being the Pride of Mistral, to bring hope into the people of Remnant forced the girl to keep her emotions locked away and keep a happy and positive façade. That façade is finally broken. Pyrrha lets out a loud screaming sob as she mourns over the loss of her first love. She brings Jaune’s hoodie up to her face and hugs it tightly, desperately clinging onto the last remnant of Jaune. Pyrrha bawls loudly as she rocks back and forth on her knees. “JAAAAUUUUUNNNNEEEE!!!” She cries out in agony. All the years of Pyrrha’s pent up sadness, all the times she was told not to cry for warriors never cry, and every single lost that Pyrrha has suffered in her life burst forth in a stream of tears. Her tears drip onto Jaune’s hooding, the droplets staining it with her sorrow.

Pyrrha was crying for who knows how long. Five minutes? Ten minutes? Who knows? For however long she was crying though, Pyrrha lifts her head and stares at Jaune’s hoodie. She sees the rips and tears in the bottom of the hoodie and notices the singed fabric on the ends of the sleeves and base of the hoodie. She sees a dried trail of Jaune’s blood, having dripped down from the collar and halfway down the rabbit’s face. Staring more and more at his hoodie, she’s reminded of who did this to him. The woman that took everything from her. The river of sorrow and depression quickly evaporates as a scorching flame ignites inside of Pyrrha. A flame of wrath, anger, and rage. A flame that burns for vengeance. Pyrrha’s face reflects such hatred, her eyebrows furrowed, mouth turning into a snarl as she clenches her teeth. She gives a small growl as all the years of anger, rage and hate that she was forbidden from showing, presents itself full force on the spartan. Pyrrha clenches the hoodie tightly in her grip as only one thought was on her mind. The thought of her killing Cinder and holding her head over her lifeless body. “Cinder… I will make you pay…” Pyrrha growls, talking to herself. “I will ruin your life, just like how you ruined mine. I will strike you down and choke you with your own entrails. You will suffer for the crime you committed against me. I will paint my lips red with your blood. This is a promise I give to you.” Pyrrha growled as she let’s out a fearsome roar. “RRRRAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!”

Upon hearing the roar, Qrow immediately gets out of the carrier and runs to where he last saw Pyrrha. “Pyrrha?” He asks, wondering what’s happening. But when he arrived… Pyrrha was gone. “Pyrrha?!” Qrow cries out, not wanting to lose her as he looks around to see where she could’ve possibly gone. But it was to no avail. Pyrrha is gone and all that’s left of her is vengeance and hate.


	2. Whereabouts of the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been three months since Beacon fell, as the cold skin biting winter starts to slowly give into spring, one question remains. What has Pyrrha been doing in those months, and what kind of person has she become?

After the fall of Beacon, Remnant was never the same. Communications among other kingdoms was disrupted due to the fall, the city of Vale was in a state of repairs and every other kingdom was terrified at the thought that they could be next. With the fear and stress that everyone is in, it’s no wonder why Grimm attacks have been on a rise. The Grimm are attracted to the fear, stress, and other intense emotions of the common people. Fortunately, most places still have their respective hunters and huntresses to protect them from these terrifying attacks. However, there are some people who aren’t officially certified as a hunter taking on these jobs, whether it be for money, to do the right thing or what have you, people are out there killing the Grimm by the dozen.

This time was no different as in the middle of a clearing in a snowy forest, a pack of Beowolves closed in on a brown cloaked figure, growling and snarling as they thirst for bloodshed. Tall pine trees outlined the clearing, going up to about fifteen feet. There was also one lone maple tree that stood higher than any other trees in the area, nearly all off the leaves having fallen off during the Fall. The figure in the middle of the pack removes their cloak and throws it to the side as they draw out their weapons, a crimson and gold short sword, and a bronze shield. The mysterious figure was wearing dark golden armor that resembled that of a spartan and a knight’s. It was simple in design, nothing too intricate or anything that stands out. It was forged to protect and judging by the scratches and small dents that covered the chest piece, it certainly did its duty. On their arms were vambraces of the same color, protecting the well-built arms of this figure. They wore a gold-plated skirt that had dark red cloth underneath the golden armor. Tied to the top of the skirt was a red cloth that was binded together with a metal medallion that bore the emblem of a spear, with a shield underneath it. They wore shin guards and brown heeled leather boots that went up to their knees, the plates of the armor being divided into sections to allow for smooth and swift movement while still fulfilling the protection that is required of such a piece of armor. Underneath their chest plate was a black short sleeved hoodie with the figure wearing the hood over their head. On their face was a white mask that resembled the face of a six eyed Grimm. A small strand of red hair can be seen a top of the mask they wore to conceal their face.

The mysterious figure gives a snarl as they watch the Grimm getting closer and closer to them. They raise their shield up, stepping back on one foot as the snow crunches beneath their feet, sword pointed forth at one of the foul beasts. With the snap of a twig from a tree above, the figure dashes towards the Beowolf, kicking up snow with every single step. The Grimm upon seeing the figure closing in on them raises their claw up, ready to strike down, only for the warrior to block the blow with their shield. With the Grimm’s neck unprotected, they slash at the Grimm’s neck, causing it to let out a deathly cry before crumbling down to the ground, a turning into black dust.

The figure looks around and sees two more Grimm making a mad dash on all fours from their right and their left. With a flick of their wrist, the short sword’s transforms into that of a spear. Using the longer weapon, the warrior thrusts it onto the ground to allow themselves to jump into the air as the two Grimm skid to a halt to avoid hitting each other. They look up and see the masked warrior throw their round shield at them, whizzing by as the edges shine in the sunlight. The shield was sharpened to the point that it could easily cut through a Grimm the size of an Evermore like a hot knife through butter. The shield cuts into one of the Beowolf’s neck, decapitating it and landing into the snowy ground with a swoosh. Using their spear, the figure stabs the Grimm in its back, their feet landing on the Grimm with a snap.

The warrior gives a small huff at the pathetic display and stares at the other Grimm. “Who else wants to meet their death?” Asks a deep feminine voice. She knows that the Grimm can’t talk, but mocking these enemies makes killing them more fun.

Three of the Grimm answer her question by charging in towards the woman. She twirls her lance around in her hands, quickly transforming it into a rifle to fire six shots at one of the Beowolf in the middle. It was able to tank three of the shots before slowing down at the fourth, stopping at the fifth and falling to the ground at the sixth. Despite the lost of their packmate, the two other Grimm continue their assault as they rush in claws bared. Raising their claws up they deliver a double vertical slash towards the masked woman. She’s able to block both blows with her spear, her left food digging into the snow from the added pressure. But this was no problem for the warrior as she easily fights back against the might of the two Beowolves, her muscles flexing as with a grunt she pushes the two Grimm back. She throws her spear at one, piercing it clean through its chest and flying through another Grimm that was behind it before embedding itself in the trunk of a tree. The woman extended her hand as she stared intently at the other wolflike monster. Suddenly the shield from earlier, enveloped in a black aura, cuts through the beast’s chest before returning back to it’s original. She extends her other hand and soon her spear was back in her hand. Looking around her, the numbers have died down but there’s still a significant amount of Grimm left, most likely about seven or eight.

The Grimm, deciding that going one at a time was a death sentence, all decided to charge in towards the woman as a group. She was surrounded on all sides, but this didn’t bother her, in fact it caused her to give a cocky smile. When one Beowolf got close enough to strike, the woman bashed it with her shield, causing it to stumble back. She then jabs a Grimm that was approaching her from behind with the butt of her spear, causing it fly back from the force before quickly getting back up. Three Grimm came at the warrior from the right and the left, showing no mercy as they growl at her. The woman turns to meet the Grimm on her right, slashing at a few of them with her spear and upon pressing a button, the blade of the spear shifts back into that of a rifle. Pulling the trigger, she fires another shot of fire dust at the Grimm she just slashed, causing it to fall into the snow. She repeats the tactic with the other two Grimm, slicing one’s arm off before shooting it in the chest, and slicing it’s neck causing it to fall and turn into black ash like the other fallen Grimm before it. Using her shield to block a double slash strike from the third Grimm on her right she was about to attack it with her spear when she heard the sound of crunching snow directly behind her. Instead of attacking the Grimm that was in front of her, she twirls her crimson spear behind her and stabs it into the head of a Grimm that almost got the better of her. Using her foot, she kicks the Grimm in front of her away with such force that it caused it to fly into a tree, causing the trunk to splinter from the force of the impact. She turns her attention towards the three Grimm that were behind her, with the one in the middle now becoming a pile of black ash. The other two Grimm raise their claws in the air ready to strike, but the warrior slid underneath them, dodging the attack. As she slid, she quickly morphed her spear back into a short sword, swinging at the toothpick thin legs of the Grimm, causing them to fall to the ground.

The two fallen Grimm rollover to try to attack the huntress again but only for her to dodge it by leaping into the air. She throws her shield down, dissecting it in half and lands on the spine of the other. She morphs her weapon back into a rifle as she shoots the Grimm in the back of the head, a displeased expression on her face as she does the deed. She turns around and sees one of the Grimm she pushed away charging back towards her. She points her rifle at it, takes aim, pulls the trigger and “ _CLICK!_ ” Out of dust bullets. She forgot to keep count, but that’s no matter. She can still kill the beast. She spins around in a circle and throws her shield, like a discus, at the Beowolf. The shield whistles through the air as it slices through the Grimm’s mouth, removing the top of its head and continuing on it’s flight. The shield hits a stone boulder that was in between two trees, causing it to ricochet like a speeding bullet and embed itself deep into the chest of another Grimm. The strike was just barely not enough to put it down for good, but it most definitely wasn’t going to defeat the warrior. Only one more left after she finishes this one. With a flex of her hand, the shield that was in the Beowolf is once again enveloped in a black aura as it returns to its owner. When the shield left the Grimm, so too did the life energy of it, if you could even call Grimm a living being that is.

The warrior turns around and sees the last Beowolf charging at her. She raises her shield, tightens the grip on her short sword and puts her right foot forward. As the Grimm gets close, she bashes it to the side with her shield before giving powerful slashes on its chest, marking it with an X. She throws her shield up, reaches into her pocket, and takes out a clip of dust bullets and tosses them high up into the air. When the shield went back down and into the warrior’s grip, she gives a powerful kick to the Grimm’s chest as she quickly changes her short sword into a rifle and tosses it into the air. Both the rifle and the clip of dust bullets are coated in a black aura. The masked warrior then punches, kicks and bashes the Grimm wildly as above her, with the help of the woman’s semblance, the rifle reloads itself. Finally, she delivers a powerful uppercut with her shield, spinning in the air as she launches the Grimm into the air. As she’s in the air she catches her rifle and lands on the ground, her back turned away from the Grimm. Holding her rifle over her shoulder, she pulls the trigger and with a “ _BANG!_ ” the bullet flies into the Grimm, the high-speed impact causing the Grimm to explode like a fire work of black ash.

The figure gives a small “humph” at the finished fight, unsatisfied with how it went. She pulls down her hood, revealing short crimson hair that went down to the middle of her neck. The hair looked like it was cut unevenly, with some small, tangled knots from being neglected proper care. The figure than takes off her mask, revealing dark emerald eyes. As it turns out, this woman was none other than Pyrrha Nikos, the huntress in training that went missing after the fall of Beacon and presumed to be dead as no one could find any trace of her. She looks up at the sky and gives a small grumble, recognizing that night was approaching. Figuring that the spot she’s in looks to be a good spot to camp for the night, she heads towards a large maple tree and sits underneath it. Giving a small sigh as she rests her back against the tree, she closes her eyes and ponders on what to do in the morning. “The next town is a half a day’s journey from where I am. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to stop there, pick up on some supplies and maybe take a bounty or two to earn some extra Lien.” She said to herself, still talking in a deeper voice than what is normal for her.

Deciding that the brief rest was enough for her, Pyrrha stands up from the spot she was sitting in and head towards the cloak that she threw aside at the beginning of the fight. Picking it up, she rummages through it and finds a small travel bag that she hid underneath it. Opening it up she takes out a rolled up sleeping bag, a frying pan, and a jar of meat seasoning that she bought from a town fifteen miles back. Heading back towards the spot underneath the maple tree, she gets started on making her camp. She makes a campfire with some of the lumber that she cut down from the tree that the Grimm from earlier was launched into. She had no trouble lighting the wood thanks to the help of fire dust.

As she set up the camp, Pyrrha would hear rustling in the bushes to her right and find a lone rabbit hopping out, looking for food. She stares at the woodland creature intently, quietly taking out Milo and silently shifting it to its rifle configuration. She stares at the rabbit down the sight line, lining up her shot and pulls the trigger. If she was back at Beacon, Pyrrha would be having second thoughts about killing an innocent creature, but without the warmth that Jaune has provided to her, Pyrrha’s heart has frozen over like the icy forest around her.

As the sun sets, and the moon rises, Pyrrha would be roasting the rabbit she killed from earlier in the frying pan over the fire. She takes the jar of seasoning and pours it all over her meal. With a sizzle, she continues to cook her dinner and within a few more minutes her food was done. Not caring about the heat of the freshly cooked rabbit, she bites into the flesh, chewing the meat before swallowing it. She looks back at the jar of seasoning, opens it up and dumps more of the spice onto the rabbit meat that she was eating. She takes another bite of the rabbit before slamming her fist into the maple tree behind her, the wood splintering from where she hit it. “Damn it! It tastes like nothing! No matter how much seasoning I put on the damn thing, I can’t taste a single thing!” Pyrrha shouts. She’s not sure exactly when she lost her sense of taste, but ever since winter arrived, she’s been unable to taste anything at all. No matter what she eats, no matter how spicy or salty it is, it’s all bland and boring to her. It makes her not want to eat anymore if she can’t enjoy the taste of food. Were it not for the fact that eating was necessary for survival, she would’ve stopped consuming food a long time ago.

As she sulks to herself, she would see a lone brown maple leaf fall from one of the branches above her. She watches it intently, looking as it dances back and forth in the air before falling into the bright orange flames of her campfire. She gives a depressed sigh as she looks away from the source of light. “Jaune…” she muttered as she takes out her scroll. Turning it on, there were more than ninety-nine missed texts and calls on her phone, Pyrrha not wanting to check them in fear of revealing herself. She navigates to her photos folder and finds a selfie that she took of herself and Jaune, enjoying a ginormous bowl of ramen during the Vytal Festival. She gives a small laugh as she remembers the terrible tummy ache Jaune had after eating all that food, only for him to go into battle mere minutes after he was done eating. She gently runs her index finger across the screen as she gives a longing sigh, her heart still aching for the man that she loved.

She scrolls through her photos and finds another selfie of her, Jaune, Ren and Nora after their team victory during the Vytal Festival. Nora was jumping on Ren’s shoulders; the young man being caught off guard from Nora’s surprise attack. Jaune had his face turned to the side, having noticed the chaos going on behind him as Pyrrha looked like she was about to burst out laughing. As Pyrrha looked at the photo, she wonders what Ren and Nora are doing before quickly dismissing the thought. She’s certain that they’re fine without her. Pyrrha continues scrolling through her photos, a small sad smile creeping on her face as she recollects each memory the photos bring. It’s probably not a good idea for her to get too invested into the photos, lest she wants to be feeling depressed and unmotivated for the oncoming days. So, with a heavy sigh, she turns off her scroll and puts it away into her bag.

An owl hoots overhead, signaling to Pyrrha that it’s time for her to go to sleep. She rolls out her white sleeping bag, the bed itself blending in perfectly into the snow. She removes her armor, leaving her in just Jaune’s hoodie and her skirt. She looks down at her hoodie, the light of the dying campfire dancing against the cloth. Pyrrha took the time to clean the garment, making sure that any trace of blood, dirt and soot were washed away as well as sewing the various rips and tears, making the hoodie look brand new. It’s the last thing that she had which belonged to Jaune and she will always cherish this for as long as she wears it, it feels like she’s constantly getting a hug from the blonde knight that she loves. Kicking some snow over the campfire to put it out, the fire extinguishing with a hiss, Pyrrha gets inside of her sleeping bag, holding Milo close to her chest, ready to strike in the event that anyone tries to ambush her in her sleep. Sleep slowly starts to eat away at her, her eyes closing softly, as she drifts off to sleep.

“Pyrrha…” Echoed a familiar voice.

Pyrrha gives a small grumble as she opens her eyes and finds herself back at Beacon during the fall. She spots the tall tower where Cinder and the Grimm dragon waited. In front of her was Jaune, who was… kissing herself? Pyrrha gives a small blink as the next thing she knows was that she was getting kissed by Jaune. The warm memory of Jaune’s lips on hers rushes back into the girl as she gets lost in the kiss once again. The kiss was rudely interrupted when she would feel cold steel against her back, finding herself in the locker that she was shoved into. Pyrrha’s eyes widen as she suffers through her personal hell again. This can’t be happening again! She can’t let him die!

Jaune slams the locker shut on Pyrrha, making a loud thunderous slam as it shook Pyrrha to her very core. Looking through the vents in the locker, Jaune looks at Pyrrha with his grey lifeless eyes. “It’s time for me to be a fucking hero.” He tells her as flames slowly consume him.

Pyrrha screams in horror as she watches the flames engulf Jaune’s body. “NO!!! DON’T BE A HERO!!!” Pyrrha cries in despair as the flames start to engulf the locker that she was in. She closes her eyes and reopens them as she finds herself on top of the tower where Ozpin’s office is. Looking up she sees Cinder stabbing Jaune in the throat with a dagger. “JAUNE!!!” She screams, hand reaching out for the young knight. Behind Jaune she sees Ruby, standing there with her back turned away from Jaune. She gives a quick glance at the dying body of Jaune Arc, staring at him with disinterest before jumping off of the tower. Ruby was supposed to save him, but she didn’t… she left Jaune to die.

Pyrrha pounds her fist into the floor, causing it to fragment and break away as the office slowly breaks into an endless black void. She lets out a loud scream, filled with anger and vengeance. Her eyes dilate with rage as she grabs her spear and charges forth towards Cinder. “CINDER!!! DIE!!!” She shouts as she charges forth.

Cinder only gives a small smile as she stops the momentum of the spear with the tip of her index finger, causing Pyrrha to freeze in her tracks. “You can’t kill me foolish girl.” Cinder taunts as Milo melts into a puddle of molten steel.

Pyrrha looks at Cinder in disbelief at how easy it was for her to melt Milo. Pyrrha growls in frustration as she tries to punch Cinder in the face, only for her to catch her fist, twisting it and breaking it with a snap. Cinder kicks Pyrrha in the stomach, causing the spartan to spit out blood as she fell to her knees. “Cinder… I will have my vengeance for everything that you’ve taken away from me!” Pyrrha shouts with rage.

Cinder only gives a small chuckle as she walks closer to Pyrrha. “How can you have vengeance for someone you only fell in love with for two hours.” Cinder asks with a taunting smile. She creates a bow out of glass and pulls the string back. “Your vengeance will die with you!” She shouts, releasing the string and firing the arrow. Pyrrha could only look on in anger, enraged that she never got to avenge Jaune and satisfy her lust for Cinder’s death. She lets out a loud roar as the arrow pierces her skull.

Opening her eyes with urgency, Pyrrha sits straight up and observes her surroundings. She’s still in the snowy forest clearing that she was at earlier. Pyrrha gives a small sigh and punches the snowy ground. “Another damn nightmare…” She grumbles. She’s been unable to sleep peacefully ever since that night. All she would ever see is Jaune dying in front of her, Ruby ignoring the crime happening in front of her and Cinder mocking Pyrrha for never being able to have her revenge. Sometimes it varied, from Ruby killing Jaune, to Cinder filling Pyrrha’s chest with arrows, left to be burned alive. No matter what the variant was, however, it all told Pyrrha the same message. Her vengeance will never come to fruition. But that was not enough to deter her. She was determined to her cause. Each and every nightmare she had only fuels the lust for Cinder’s death tenfold. “When I find you Cinder… I will put your head on the blade of my spear and present it to all of Remnant, so that they can see what happens when you go against me.” Pyrrha growled.

She looks up and sees dawn breaking through the treetops, signaling to her that it’s time to pack up and get going to the next town. Rolling up her sleeping bag and putting her armor back on, she gives one last look at the tall maple tree that she slept under, watching the last maple leaf that was on it fall down and into the snow. Giving a small grunt, she puts her mask back on and covers her head with the hood of Jaune’s hoodie and her cloak. She buries any remnants of the campfire she made under the snow in case there’s someone that’s tracking her down. Without further delay, Pyrrha heads north into the woods to get back on the lone path she was walking on, the chilly wind blowing into her face.

After several hours of walking, Pyrrha would find herself at the entrance of a snowy village. It wasn’t a super advanced village, nothing on the likes of Vale or Argus, but it still had the basics that most settlements needed to thrive. The buildings seemed to be made out of red brick with grey shingles for the roofing. Streetlights lined the main road that went through the middle of town. A red-haired kid runs around with his friends, all of them holding wooden swords, shields and axes that were most definitely made by the kids themselves. They were all clashing their toy weapons against each other as they let out cute battle cries, declaring themselves to be the best hunter that has ever lived. The small sight causes Pyrrha to give a warm smile, appreciating the innocence of the youth. The world is so hard and cold, but these kids live on without a single care in the world. Oh, how Pyrrha wishes that she still had her innocence.

With a deep sigh, Pyrrha walks into town, trying to find either a tavern or a wanted board. She might as well try to take up a job while she’s here to earn some Lien to buy dust rounds, whetstones, and maybe even some new food. Hopefully, the new food that she buys will allow her to regain her sense of taste, as it would be a flavor she’s never experienced before. She would soon find a wanted board that happened to be conveniently placed next to a tavern. Looking at the board, she sees various requests to take down certain Grimm as well as posters of petty thieves asking for them to be imprisoned for their crimes. However, one poster catches Pyrrha’s eye.

**WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE! ANZO, THE LEADER OF THE BLUNDERBORE BANDITS!**

**REWARD 500,000 LIEN.**

The poster shows the picture of a bald man with a thick beard on their face. Pyrrha gives a confident smile as she rips the poster off of the wall and stashes it in her bag.

Next to her, Pyrrha would hear a small whistle as a male huntsman looks at Pyrrha curiously. “That’s quite a reward. What do you plan on doing with it?” He asks curiously, trying to make some small talk.

Pyrrha stares at the man and looks down at her hands. “The only use that I have for the reward is to buy stronger, better and durable gear that will help me avenge my love against the woman that killed him! I could care less for whoever this Anzo is, he’s just a small steppingstone that’s on my path towards vengeance.” She monologues, closing her hands into a fist as she gives a small snarl.

The man looks at Pyrrha with wide eyes and gives a nervous chuckle. “Ah… that sounds nice. If I had that reward, I would’ve probably just bought a nice-looking gold necklace. Maybe a minx fur coat too. Just try to make myself look more eye catching for the ladies you know?” He said with an awkward smile. Pyrrha stares at the man through her mask, wondering if he’s actually serious. “Well… I wish you luck with your vengeance I guess.” He said as he rips a poster asking to slay Grimm off the board and leaves. Pyrrha rolls her eyes and grumbles to herself before heading into the tavern to see if she can find any tips on where Anzo or the Blunderbore bandits may be.

Walking through the metal doors, she would find herself in a modern styled bar, filled with various patrons who were sitting at polished stone tables, eating delicious looking food, and drinking their drinks. There was a small live jazz band that was playing a nice catchy tune that gave a carefree atmosphere to the tavern. At the back of the building was a bar, that had a black-haired bartender cleaning beer glass, various bottles of alcohol behind him; and a flight of stairs that led to a higher floor, most likely where rooms were that travelers could stay in for the night. Right above the array of bottles of alcohol, was a large emblem that resembled a beanstalk. However, instead of sprouting from a bean, the stalk was sprouting from a pint of beer. Below the emblem was lettering that said “Jack’s Tavern and Inn” arranged in a semi-circle around the icon of the bar.

Walking past various patrons that were seated at tables, Pyrrha heads towards the bar, paying no attention to the customers. A few of the patrons give Pyrrha a curious and cautious stare, moving their hands down to their hips, where they most likely kept their weapons, in case this stranger was a threat. Walking closer to the bar, the bartender looks up from the glass and gives Pyrrha a cautious stare, not trusting the mask that she wore. “How may I help you stranger?” He asks, one hand reaching underneath the bar.

Pyrrha reaches into her bag and pulls out the wanted poster that she took from the board outside, sliding it over to the bartender. “Do you have any information on where this guy may be?” Pyrrha asks in a deep voice. Ever since she left Beacon, she started talking in a deeper voice to conceal her identity so that no one can recognize her as the Pride of Mistral. If people were to recognize her, they would no doubt try to take her back to her home, preventing her from being able to achieve her revenge. Besides, it’s better if Pyrrha stays dead. It makes the reveal when she fights Cinder feel more impactful.

The bartender relaxes as he sees that the masked stranger was here for a job. “You shouldn’t fight him by yourself lass. He and his men have killed countless huntsmen and huntresses that tried to bring him to justice.” He warns as he goes back to cleaning the glass.

“I don’t care. I’m far stronger than you expect.” Pyrrha grumbles, crossing her arms as she taps her foot on the ground impatiently, waiting for the bartender to give her some tips on where Anzo could be.

The bartender gives a sigh as he sees that this huntress was determined. ‘ _Another huntress slayed by Anzo._ ’ He thinks to himself. “Well it’s your funeral.” He says as he reaches underneath the bar and pulls out a map of the surrounding area. “You can find their camp to the north of here, up on top of the giant cliff that over looks this town.” He says as circling said spot on the map. “Let me warn you though, Anzo is a very dangerous man.” He said as he reaches underneath the bar. He gives a loud grunt as he heaves over a small wooden chest on top of the bar and places it in front of Pyrrha, catching her interest. She opens the chest, expecting to find some kind of heavy object inside, only to spot one black feather. Confused, she reaches in to pick up the feather with her fingertips only to be surprised by the massive weight of the feather. She had to grab it with her fist instead as she looks at it in the palm of her hand. She puts the feather back into the chest, closing it and sliding it back over to the bartender. “His semblance allows him to change the weight of anything and he has the strength to support that drastic change in weight.”

“I see.” Pyrrha hums, a small smile growing on her lips. This could make for a very fun and interesting fight. “Thanks for the help.” Pyrrha said, nodding her head at the bartender before turning around to leave.

“Good luck huntress. You’re going to need it.” The bartender said under his breath as he goes back to work.

Pyrrha starts to head north of the small town that she was in, spotting the large cliff that rose above the trees. With a firm nod of determination, she sets out to make her way towards the bandit camp. The trek through the woods was uneventful as the snow crunching beneath Pyrrha’s feet being the only sound that filled the air. The trip was quick as she soon reached the base of the cliff. She finds a small trail that leads up to the cliff and starts her treacherous journey up the cliff. The trail was rocky and a bit icy, so Pyrrha had to use her spear as a sort of walking stick to prevent slipping and falling off. Halfway up the cliff, snow would start to gently fall onto the ground, coating the already snowy ground with even more of its cold white fluff. Soon she would reach the top of the cliff and find in front of her a large cave entrance that was lit by two torches. By the torches stood two guards dressed in thick fur clothing. Quickly ducking behind a large rock to prevent being seen, she starts to come up with a plan of attack. Turning Milo into its rifle configuration, a small scope appears on top of it, a new feature that she added a while back. Peering down the scope she looks at the two guards who seemed to be dozing off. She looks up from her rifle as she reaches into her bag and pulls out her frying pan.

Using her polarity, Pyrrha lifts up the frying pan and floats it over towards a small path that was beside the cave entrance. Once it arrived, she dropped the pan, letting out a loud and audible “ _DONG!_ ” that woke up the two guards, who quickly went over to investigate. Pyrrha then rushes towards the two guards, weapons drawn as she stabs the both of them in the back, her blade piercing through their chests as they let out a pained gasp before falling to the ground, life leaving their bodies.

Finishing the deed, Pyrrha quickly goes inside of the cave. Upon entering she notices large metal beams that appeared to be supporting the top of the cave. She’ll make a mental note of this discovery, in the event she needs to make a quick getaway. Going deeper into the cave, doing her best to stay quiet, she notices about four bandits sitting around a bonfire, eating, and drinking merrily, unaware of their oncoming demise. Deciding to ignore them for now, she goes deeper into the cave, hoping that she can find this Anzo person.

As she walks through the cave, she would freeze in her tracks when she discovers a giant Grimm that resembled that of a goose, sleeping peacefully. This giant goose was easily the size of a two storied house, the large creature completely filling up all the space of the room that it was in. It’s feathers were pitch black, with a white bone like headplate resting on its face. It’s bill were aligned with razor sharp black teeth that could easily rip and tear a person apart. On the joints of it’s wings were massive, hooked spurs that looked like they could pierce through rock. How is there a Grimm in this cave and how come it hasn’t killed the bandits? Were they able to tame it somehow? She is now faced with a decision, either she kills the Grimm now and risk Anzo fleeing the base or ignore the Grimm, attacking and killing Anzo and risk having to fight a fully awakened giant Grimm. She gives a small hum as she decides to go with the latter option. Unfortunately, as Pyrrha would try to sneak past the Grimm, a large metal cage would fall on top of her, a loud clanging noise echoing throughout the cave, trapping her for the time being. The noise alerted the giant Grimm, causing it’s eyes to open as it gets up from the ground, staring Pyrrha with it’s blank red eyes, giving a small snarl.

Pyrrha would hear a masculine voice from behind the goose, telling it to settle down. The Grimm did as it was told and lays back down on the ground. From behind the goose walks forth a mountain of a man, easily 8’0 tall, maybe even greater. He had a thick brown beard on his shiny bald head. He wore two shoulder guards that were made out of animal bones while the rest of his outfit was a simple fur tunic and boots. He had a notable golden pendant on his chest that seemed to have the design of a large castle resting on top of a bed of clouds. This must be Anzo, the leader of the Blunderbore Bandits. “Oi what do we have here then?” He asks as he kneels down to take a glance at Pyrrha. “Another one of you huntsmen trying to capture me eh?” He says with a laugh.

Pyrrha was silent, refusing to answer the man as she stared him down through the mask she was wearing. Even though the man couldn’t see her eyes, he could feel her intense gaze pierce into his very soul, filling him with dread. “Eh… something is wrong with you. You’re fillin me with dread.” He shivers before grabbing the cage by one of the bars. “I’m not risking toying around with you like I did with all the other huntsmen and huntresses.” He says to Pyrrha, dragging the cage behind him. As he does this, Pyrrha starts forming a plan, paying close attention to her surroundings, and making note of anything that she could use to her benefit. After a brief trip, Anzo would lead Pyrrha into what can be assumed to be his throne room. The throne itself was simple, being made out of a natural rock formation that must have been in the cave from the very beginning. Next to the throne were piles of valuables that the bandits have stolen throughout their existence. Such valuables included jewelry, gems, large dust crystals and even pieces of Atlesian Robots. Behind the throne was the stone wall of the cave, adorned with the weapons of all the huntsmen and huntresses that Anzo no doubt killed.

“You kill all those huntsmen yourself?” Pyrrha asks, not even a hint of emotion in her voice.

“Ya, I did. You’ll just be another one for me to add to my collection.” He threatens with a grin as he walks to his throne to retrieve his weapon, a large blade that resembled a giant butcher knife. He was able to pick it up without problem, despite the blade being almost three quarters of his size. By this point, a group of bandits form around the cage that Pyrrha was trapped in, excited to see another public execution. “Well ya have any last words before I butcher ya?” Anzo asks.

Pyrrha gives a growl as she activates her semblance, focusing it on two of the metal bars on the cage. She throws her arms to each of her sides and breaks the metal bars with little effort thanks to her semblance. Wasting no time, she quickly draws out Milo and Akouo as she rushes towards Anzo. He was unable to get a word in as he brings his blade up to protect his massive body from her strikes. Pyrrha roars as she rapidly and mindlessly attacks Anzo, her weapons bouncing off of the giant piece of steel, not even leaving a scratch.

Pyrrha would suddenly get pushed by the flat of the blade and launched towards a small group of bandits, who were quickly drawing their weapons out to kill the huntress. Pyrrha lands on her back and sees four bandits raising their axes above her head, ready to chop her apart. She spins around on her back, tripping the four bandits with her spear as she jumps up on her feet, quickly dodging a sword thrust that came at her back. She hits the exposed arm with her shield, the sharp edges of the metal cutting the arm of the bandit as he quickly pulls back in pain, only for Pyrrha to immediately bash his head with her shield, causing him to fall on the floor unconscious.

Anzo gives a frustrated groan at the incompetence of his men. A green sheen shines over his giant blade as he’s now able to swing it around like it was as light as a feather. He runs towards Pyrrha, his giant feet stomping on the ground, causing the cave to rumble with each step he took. He does a small spin as he jumps up into the air, the same green sheen shining over his weapon, increasing it’s weight massively, and performs a giant vertical chop that can easily cleave a person in half.

Pyrrha was able to jump away from the attack, Anzo’s weapon embedding itself with an earthshaking rumble, a large crack splitting down the room. Pyrrha would then jump on the top of the blade before kneeing Anzo in the face. She performs a backflip as her spear shifts to a rifle, firing a shot at Anzo’s shining bald head. The giant grunted in pain as he stumbles back away from his sword. He looks at his men and gives a growl. “Well don’t just stand there! Kill her!” He commands with a shout as blood runs out of his nose.

The bandits shake their heads as they charge towards Pyrrha, who landed from the back flip. She spins around and throws her shield at the group of bandits, the shield bouncing off of the heads of five bandits like a pin ball machine. Quickly shifting her rifle back into a short sword, she parries a horizontal strike from an axe, before punching her assailant in the face, then stabbing him in the chest.

Pyrrha would hear a gunshot and feel a sharp pain in her thigh as she turns around to see a bandit holding a revolver. He cocks the hammer back and fires another shot, Pyrrha reflecting it with her blade before she dashes towards the man. He fires four more shots out of his revolver, Pyrrha deflecting two of them and dodging the other two. When Pyrrha closed the distance between herself and the gunslinger, the gunslinger would try to shoot Pyrrha in the face only to hear a click as he ran out of ammunition. Pyrrha gives the bandit a smirk before decking him in the face with her free hand, knocking him down to the ground and stomping on his face, a loud bloodcurdling crack echoing throughout the cave.

Out of the corner of her eye she spots her shield and using her semblance, calls it back to her, slicing the ankles of those who were in it’s way, tossing them down on the ground as blood poured out from their wounds. Grabbing the shield, she holds it up to block gun fire from five bandits on her right. As she protected herself, she would hear giant thuds rushing towards her as Anzo swings his sword over his head. Seeing that she’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, she jumps back to try to evade the blow. However, the very tip of the massive cleaver was able to slice through her mask and opens a large wound that went from her forehead to the top of her cheek. Her hood falls back, showing her crimson hair as she gives a pained groan from the newly inflicted wound.

Anzo stares at Pyrrha in disbelief and holds his fist up to tell his men to stop firing for a moment. “Well I’d be damned! If it isn’t the Pride of Mistral! Everyone thought you were dead!” He says with a hearty laugh.

“And I wish that everyone continues to believe that I’m dead.” Pyrrha growls, her identity having been revealed to all the bandits, knowing now that she can’t let a single one live. Blood continues to drip down her face, droplets splattering on the stone floor.

“Hmmm I was gonna kill ya but then I came up with a thought. What if we hold ya for ransom? Imagine how much money we will make by holding the Pride of Mistral hostage! We’d be swimming in dough! Right boys?!” He asks, looking behind to all his men. They all give a big cheer as each and every single one thinks over what they can do with all that Lien. “So just put down your weapons and come with us, we will treat that wound of yours and take you back home.”

Pyrrha’s eyebrows furrow as she gives a small growl. She has no home anymore. Anywhere that doesn’t have Jaune is no home of hers. If she goes back to Argus, she will be forced back into her old life where people treated her like an idol to be worshiped. She would never get her revenge on Cinder if she’s forced to go back to Argus. She won’t rest until Milo is drenched in Cinder’s blood. Pyrrha gives a loud roar, her eyes dilating in rage as she uses her semblance to levitate all of bandits’ weapons into the air before impaling each and every single one.

Anzo looks around and stumbles back in shock. “That’s… that’s impossible!” He shouts, getting scared for his life as this woman just single handedly killed his entire crew. He gives a loud whistle that echoes through out the cave. Soon the giant Grimm goose from earlier breaks through the stone walls with a terrifying honk and a flap of its wings.

Pyrrha looks on in anger, seeing that she’s getting pushed back into a corner, she makes her spear into a rifle and starts shooting at the Grimm’s face, trying to slow it down. Anzo rushes in towards Pyrrha, his fist glowing bright green as it looks like he’s struggling to keep it in the air. Pyrrha takes her shield to block the punch and gives a grunt from the massive force of the punch, her heels digging into the stone floor as a loud bell-like “ _DONG!_ ” reverberates throughout the cave. His fist was so heavy that that it caused her guard to slowly slip before she uses semblance on her shield to help her push against Anzo’s fist. Anzo gives a growl of frustration as his fist glows brighter and brighter, increasing its weight, but Pyrrha fought back with every ounce of her strength, combining it with the newfound strength of her semblance. “W-what are you?!” Anzo asks with a groan.

Pyrrha looks the giant dead in the eyes and gives a small growl. “I’m a monster!” She screams pushing Anzo back with a burst of strength. With his fist still being extremely heavy, it rapidly falls to the ground. Due to the immense weight, a loud snap and a pop his heard as Anzo’s arm pops out of its socket, causing the man to scream in pain as his aura fizzles away.

The giant Grimm lets out a war cry as it tries to peck at Pyrrha with its beak. She parries the blow, bashing the side of the goose’s head with her shield, causing it to stumble into a wall with a thud. Pyrrha then rushes up to Anzo and grabs the pendant that he wore on his chest before sweeping his legs, causing the giant to fall on his back. He let’s out a groan as he looks up, seeing his massive cleaver enveloped in a black aura floating directly above him. His eyes dilate in horror as he lets out a terrified scream before a large “ _THUD!_ ” silences the scream. Pyrrha looks at the brutality that she inflicted on the man and snarls to herself. She’s a monster. A monster of nothing but hate and vengeance. This is who she is now, and nothing will ever change that.

Before she had time to further recollect on who she is, the giant Grimm gives a loud honk as it starts running towards Pyrrha. The huntress, remembering the steel beams she saw earlier starts running out of the cave, the giant demonic goose chasing after her. The cave was empty, void of life as Pyrrha’s steps echo throughout the cavern. The light of the sun shines through the cave entrance as Pyrrha gets closer to it. She turns around and looks up at the steel beams, enveloping them in a black aura. She brings her arms down, the steel beams repeating the motion as with a loud shrieking crack, they fall apart and fall on the giant Grimm. Rumbling is heard as the top of the cave starts to crumble from lack of support and rocks start to fall on the goose, the monster roaring in pain as it slows down.

Pyrrha was almost about to escape when three giant boulders start to fall in front of her. She takes out her rifle and quickly loads in explosive rounds, firing three consecutive shots at the boulders, blowing them up into smithereens. A small boulder falls in front of Pyrrha, who uses her shield to bash it away, the force from Pyrrha’s blow causing it to shatter into pieces.

Pyrrha would soon find herself outside of the cave, panting heavily as she turns around and watches the cave collapse on itself, loud honks and cries coming from the giant Grimm that was getting buried underneath the rubble. When the rumbling stopped and the dust settled, she sees the head of the goose Grimm thrashing wildly as it tries to break free. Pyrrha shifts her rifle into a spear and walks up to the Grimm. She looks at it with cold emotionless eyes before thrusting the spear tip right between the eyes of the Grimm, giving it a quick end to it’s life as it fades away into black dust.

Pyrrha gives a deep sigh as she sits down on the ground for a brief moment to catch her breath. She sees a drop of blood fall onto her skirt as she remembers the wound she suffered from earlier. Tearing off a piece of the cloak she had on, she reaches into her sack and pulls out a canteen filled with water, dabbing the fabric in water before moving up to wash away the dried blood on her face. She takes out her scroll and opens up the camera function to serve as a mirror. The wound was all cleaned and has already healed into a scar thanks to her aura. She gently runs her finger across the scar and gives a small sigh, closing her eyes. She’s alive for now, but she needs to keep a better eye on her surroundings next time. When she would open her eyes, for a brief moment she sees a reflection of herself back when she attended Beacon. She glares at the youthful and innocent reflection before forcefully closing her scroll and swiftly putting it away. She gets up, puts her hood over her head and starts to head back to the town that she was at earlier. On the bright side, the scar on her face will make her a bit harder to recognize.

Once she was back in town, she goes to the local police station and barges in. She places the wanted poster and Anzo’s pendant on the desk in front of the clerk. “They’re all dead. They won’t be bothering you anymore.” She muttered.

The poor young clerk was startled by Pyrrha’s sudden appearance. He picks up the pendant with trembling hands before running through a door that was to the left of the desk. After a few moments, the clerk returns with an older mustached man following him, holding the pendant. “Is it true? You really killed Anzo and the Blunderbore Bandits?” He asked in disbelief. Pyrrha gives a silent nod as she waits impatiently for her reward. The police chief had no reason to not believe in this mysterious huntress that reeked of blood and rubble. He pulls out a large bag of Lien and puts it in front of Pyrrha. “Here you go. 500,000 Lien. I… thank you for taking care of them. They’ve been terrorizing us for years.” He thanks with a bow.

Pyrrha grabs the bag with a firm grip and looks at the police chief. “It’s nothing. You can sleep peacefully now.” She said as she starts to leave the station.

“Ma’am wait! Please tell us your name so we know who to properly thank.” The police chief calls out, causing Pyrrha to pause in place.

Pyrrha turns around to look at the older man. “You may call me Vindicta.” She said before leaving the station.

The shattered moon of Remnant was rising into the sky as Pyrrha heads into the tavern she was at earlier. Walking up to the barkeeper, she slams one hundred Lien in front of him. “A room for the night please.” She asked.

The bartender is surprised to see that Pyrrha was in fact still alive and assumed that she was able to find victory in overcoming Anzo and his goons. “Keep your money. It’s on the house. You actually survived and killed Anzo, a huntress like that deserves to be treated.” He said with a smile, pushing the Lien back towards Pyrrha. With a grumble Pyrrha takes the cash with a firm grip and puts it back in her bag. “May I interest you in a drink ma’am?” He asks, taking out a bottle of what appeared to be whiskey for Pyrrha.

“I’m eighteen.” Pyrrha responded flatly, answering the bartender’s question.

“Oh… how about some water then?” He asks. Pyrrha nods her head and soon the bartender fills up a glass with water and gives Pyrrha the key to her room. “Here you go. Your room is 208 which is upstairs. Have a nice night.” He said with a smile.

Pyrrha grabbed the glass of water and quickly downs the cold liquid, giving small, refreshed sigh. “Thank you and uh… you too.” She said a bit awkwardly as she grabbed the key and heads up the stairs.

Once Pyrrha was in her room, she quickly locks the door and disrobes herself. The first thing she’s going to do is take a long relaxing shower. Stepping into the bathroom, she turns the nozzle for the shower and quickly steps in, allowing the hot water to splash over her muscular form. She rests her head and forearm against the wall of the shower as the water continues to rain down on her. She takes a deep sigh, wondering to herself if this is what she should really be doing. She nods her head and gently slams against the wall. This is what she should be doing, she knows it. Her fate is to become a murderous monster that lives from town to town until her lust for revenge is finally satisfied. As long as Cinder is still alive, her rage will continue to burn inside her soul. Pyrrha would quickly finish washing herself before putting on undergarments and Jaune’s hoodie, quickly getting into bed to fall asleep and have another nightmare.

The next day Pyrrha would leave the town at the crack of dawn to continue her journey to who knows where. As she made her way through the Vale countryside, she would hear the loud sound of rushing water nearby. As she continues down the trail, the sound would get louder and louder until she finds herself at the edge of a cliff, a wooden rope bridge connecting it to the other side. There was a massive waterfall behind the flimsy bridge, as a small fog covers most of the bridge, preventing Pyrrha from being able to see the other side. She tugs on her hood, not trusting the stability of the bridge but knows that she needs to cross it. She steps onto the first wooden plank, the creaking of the wood getting muffled by the waterfall.

Pyrrha would start crossing the bridge, being careful to make sure that the bridge stayed in one piece. As she crosses the bridge, Pyrrha would see another cloaked figure crossing the bridge as well. The figure appeared to be significantly shorter than herself but walks with a form of eloquence and grace. Pyrrha gives the figure an intense glare, getting a bad feeling from them as she crosses the bridge. The two cloaked figures would soon walk past each other before pausing in the middle of the bridge. Pyrrha’s nose twitches as she picked up an all too familiar smell of iron. Not trusting this mysterious person, feeling that they may attack at a moments notice, she reaches behind her for Milo and Akouo. She slightly turns her head towards the mysterious figure. “You reek of blood.” She told the stranger. One single tap can be heard from the figure, as they remain silent. The two figures frozen back to back, waiting patiently for one of them to strike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm I wonder who that hooded figure could be? Are they friend, or are they foe? Perhaps they just want to speak with Pyrrha. Or perhaps they want a fight without the need to exchange words? Well whatever the case is, you'll find out next chapter! Once again thank you for your support everyone! Please tell me how I did with this chapter as it's the first time I've written a group vs one person fight. Personally I think I did pretty good with it but I'll wait to hear what you all think! Until next time friends! uwu


	3. The Enemy of my Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha feels that her life is at stake after meeting this mysterious stranger on the bridge. The question is though, is this person friend, foe or perhaps an odd mix of both?

The two figures stood back to back on the rope bridge. The tension between the two was so intense that it couldn’t even be cut by the sharpest of knives. As the waterfall roars, the two figures only stand in silence. Until suddenly Pyrrha quickly draws out Milo and Akouo, and rushes in to attack the stranger with a sword thrust. The stranger simply jumps back out of range from the thrust and pulls out what appears to be a pink lace parasol, before quickly rushing in to attack Pyrrha. Pyrrha raises her shield to block the jab and swings her short sword, the figure parrying the attack with ease. The hooded figure ducks underneath a horizontal slash from Pyrrha and thanks to their short stature, they were able to leave Pyrrha opened as they jabbed at her knees with the end of the parasol before uppercutting with the hooked end. The blow caused Pyrrha to stumble back as she gives a growl and glares at the figure.

From underneath the figure’s hood, Pyrrha could see them giving a sly smile, as they give a small curtsy towards Pyrrha, taunting her. Pyrrha gives a loud roar of fury as she charges in blindly, Milo raised high as she gets ready to slice this figure up. When Pyrrha would swing her blade, the figure immediately breaks away into glass as they completely disappear. The blow from the strike caused a few strands of rope to get cut up as one of the wooden planks falls down to the watery abyss below. Pyrrha would suddenly feel a sharp pain in her neck as the hooded figure kicks Pyrrha with a white high heeled boot. The blow causes Pyrrha to fall down onto the bridge, another plank of wood breaking off. The red headed warrior does a quick roll away from the hooded figure as she lets her anger get the better of her. “Stop hiding behind your cheap tricks!” She shouts at the figure.

The figure simply lets out a small ‘Heh’ and taps her parasol on the wooden plank. Pyrrha growls at how smug this person was being, treating this fight like it’s nothing but a game. Once again, she charges in, going for a horizontal slash. An audible sigh could be heard from the figure as they once again duck underneath it, attempting to use the hook of their parasol to trip Pyrrha. However, Pyrrha was able to predict this as she jumps over the hook and knees the figure before jumping off of their head, landing behind them and slashing their back as the figure falls onto the wooden bridge.

The slashes tear up their cloak as the figure gives a small grunt. They get back up and charge in towards Pyrrha. Pyrrha raises her guard to get ready to defend herself from the attack only for the charging figure to shatter into glass when they arrived. Pyrrha would then feel a dull pain to her skull as from the air, as the figure dives kick the top of Pyrrha’s head. They jump off of them, twirling in the air as a blade comes out from the end of their parasol which they use to slash at Pyrrha’s back in an X shape, before twirling her parasol so that the handle is on the other end. The figure hooks Pyrrha by the neck as they bring her down onto the ground, Pyrrha choking in pain from the sudden force. As Pyrrha fell to the ground, she was able to grab the shaft of the parasol with her semblance, causing the figure to fly over Pyrrha unexpectedly as she thrusted her sword up into the figure’s chest, the figure just barely being able to dodge the lethal blow.

Pyrrha would land on the bridge with a thud as the wood creaked loudly, and the ropes holding the bridge together squeak from all the sudden weight landing on the bridge so quickly. Pyrrha would get up on her feet as she takes her cloak and rips it off, fully revealing herself to the figure. The figure gives a small exhale of air as they rip off their cloak, revealing a woman with long hair, one half pink and the other half brown. On top of their head was a black bowler hat with a red fabric circling around the base of the hat. She was wearing a white low-cut dress jacket with a black undershirt. For pants she was wearing black dress pants with two leather belts on her hips. Her white leather boots went up to her knees with black buttons lining up on the inside edge of the footwear. This woman was none other than Neopolitan,

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle as she smirks at the woman. “Heh, knew my instincts were right. You were one of those people that worked with Cinder, aren’t you?” Pyrrha asks, the grip tightening on her sword.

When Pyrrha would say the name Cinder, Neo’s grip would tighten on her parasol as a scowl grows on her face before her signature smug smile returns. What are the odds that she would encounter Pyrrha Nikos, the woman who was going to be the Fall Maiden? Though it’s interesting to note how much she has changed. Granted while Neo never had much interaction with the spartan huntress, from what she knew, Pyrrha was always described as kind and caring, and always wanting to do the right thing. One of those goody two shoes types that Neo gets so annoyed at. But now, Pyrrha has the look of a murderer in her eyes, as rage radiated off of her. It almost reminds Neo of herself, but that’s a thought for another day. She gives a small nod, answering Pyrrha’s question as she taps her parasol once again.

Pyrrha gives a sadistic smile as she can finally take her rage out on one of the culprits that attacked Beacon. “Good. I’ll make sure your death is long and agonizing for everything that you and your “friends” have done to me.” Pyrrha snarled as she charges in towards Neo, shifting her sword into a small handgun as she fires shot after shot towards Neo.

Neo gives a smug smile as she opens her parasol and blocks each shot. When Pyrrha was within three feet of her, Neo flicks her wrist as a hidden blade slides out from the cuff of her sleeve. She swings her parasol towards Pyrrha’s mid-section, who blocks the blow expertly with her handgun, while thrusting her hidden blade towards Pyrrha’s throat. Pyrrha was able to bring up her shield in time, causing the blade to bounce off with a spark.

With Neo being wide open for attack, Pyrrha bashes the woman with her shield, causing Neo to fly backwards. As Neo flew back, she holds out her umbrella to hook one of the ropes that served as a railing for the bridge. She then uses the momentum to swing underneath the bridge and fly into the air high above the bridge. She opens up her parasol and starts to slowly float down. Pyrrha would throw her shield at Neo, only for Neo to shatter like glass as Pyrrha fell victim to another illusion. However, before Pyrrha throw the shield, she noticed a small shake from the bridge, like someone landed on it. So, when Pyrrha’s shield hit the illusion, she swings her fist and hook punches an invisible Neo right in the cheek.

The pink and brown-haired girl gives Pyrrha a growl as she rubs her cheek before raising her parasol up high to bring it down on Pyrrha’s head. Pyrrha blocks the blow and swings at Neo’s neck, who blocks the blow as well. The two women would continue striking and parrying each other’s blows as Neo gets forced back towards the cliffside that Pyrrha came from. From their rapid strikes, the ropes on the bridge would fall victim to the attacks as well, however the two women failed to notice this as they were focused on each other. When Neo and Pyrrha clashed weapons, Pyrrha took the opportunity to step on Neo’s foot causing her to stumble back, a pained gasp escaping her lips. Throwing out her arm, Pyrrha calls back her shield as she closes in on Neo, slashing at her chest and causing the beads of her necklace to fly off the bridge.

Neo had no time to react to the lost of her jewelry as she finds herself balancing on the edge of a wooden plank. She was able to regain her balance and stands firm on both feet as she stares Pyrrha down. Pyrrha was about to attack when both women would stop in the middle of their movements as they hear the ropes snapping, causing one side of the bridge to fall off, leaving only one long piece of rope connected between the ends of the cliffs. Neo was able to hook the railing with her parasol in time and spin herself up on top of the rope, balancing herself on the thin platform. She watches Pyrrha fall to the depths, giving a happy chuckle before carefully walking away.

As Pyrrha fell she gives a roar of determination as she puts her shield underneath her feet. The shield becomes enveloped in a black aura as Pyrrha’s decent would stop, and soon thanks to her sheer strength with her polarity, she was able to levitate herself back on top of the tightrope, landing with a squeak of the rope. Neo feels the vibrations from Pyrrha’s landing and turns around, giving Pyrrha a surprised look. She smiles and immediately goes after Pyrrha once again, a blade coming out from the end of her parasol as she thrusts forward. Pyrrha leans out of the way from the thrust and stabs at Neo, only for her to shatter into glass yet again. She looks up and sees Neo getting ready to land a drop kick. Pyrrha raises her shield to block the blow and hears the sound of glass breaking once again before a loud bang is heard coming in front of her. Pyrrha was quickly able to deflect the shot and she sees Neo standing back, smoke coming out from the end of her parasol. Pyrrha gives a small growl as she rushes towards Neo, the rope squeaking more and more as the tension on it starts to cause some strands to tear apart. “I have my tricks too!” Pyrrha said to herself as she shifts her sword into a spear and throws it towards Neo.

Right before the spear would hit, Pyrrha notices the tension on the rope relaxing for a brief moment before intensifying again, this time coming from behind her. Pyrrha’s spear would fly through Neo’s chest, Neo once again shattering into glass as another clone falls. However as soon as the glass broke, Pyrrha quickly turns around and punches a dashing Neo in the gut, followed by bashing her face in with Akouo, a small trail of blood running down from Neo’s nose. Pyrrha calls back her spear, shifting it into a sword mid flight as she delivers a powerful vertical slash, to which Neo blocks the strike with her parasol, grunting softly as she tries her best to hold back Pyrrha, eyes ablaze with anger.

Pyrrha’s eyes soften for a brief moment as she notices the look in Neo’s eyes. “Your eyes… they have the flames of vengeance dancing inside of them, like mine.” Pyrrha said softly. Neo responds by giving a soft nod, not being able to talk. “Who are you seeking revenge against?” Pyrrha asked as she stares at Neo intently.

Neo gives Pyrrha a deadpanned look as she opens her mouth for a moment, emphasizing that she can’t talk, before closing it. Pyrrha darts her eyes away for a moment before returning her attention on to Neo. “I’m… uh… sorry. I didn’t know.” Pyrrha apologized before shaking her head. She shouldn’t be apologizing during a battle of life and death! But… what if by some chance… “Is it Cinder?” Pyrrha asks as she eases up on the pressure from her attack.

Neo’s eyes light up as she realizes that they appear to be on the same boat. She nods her head as she starts to carefully lower her guard. Pyrrha lowers her weapons as well, putting her shield on her back while still having a firm grip on Milo before looking at the shorter woman. “If we both seek revenge on Cinder, then maybe it’s better that we-“ she said before her sentence was interrupted with a loud snap of the rope splitting in half. The two women stand in the air for a brief moment noticing the lack of any kind of ground beneath their feet before falling down the ravine.

Pyrrha lets out a scream as she fell, falling faster than that of Neo due to her heavier gear. Neo, seeing this repositions herself in the air and straightens herself out, falling towards Pyrrha as she held out her gloved hand. Pyrrha grabs Neo’s hand with a firm grip as the pink and brown-haired girl opens her parasol to slow their descent. However, despite the strength that Neo’s parasol had, it wasn’t enough to fully slow down their fall. Thankfully, Pyrrha closed her eyes and concentrated on Neo’s parasol, a black aura enveloping it as she uses her semblance to levitate the two back up. Neo gives a happy smile as the two women fly back up to the cliff side that Neo came from, the two of them landing on the stone ground with a thump.

Pyrrha gets up onto her feet, holding her hand out for Neo so that she can help the shorter girl up. Neo grabs her hand and stands up, staring up at Pyrrha. The two women put away their weapons as they stare at each other awkwardly, not sure what to say. “Well… umm…” Pyrrha murmured as she hasn’t felt this feeling of awkwardness in a very long time.

Neo gives a small sigh as she moves her hands, signing to Pyrrha. “ **Do you understand sign language?** ” She asks with a raised eyebrow.

Pyrrha nods her head. “I do. I learned it before I went to Beacon.” she said, crossing her arms. “So… why do you want to kill Cinder?” Pyrrha asks the much shorter woman. Neo only went up to Pyrrha’s chest, and that’s with wearing high heels boosting her height.

Neo starts to move her hands quickly, signing to Pyrrha. “ **Well that’s a long story, but to make it short, sweet, and simple; which is the opposite of what you are right now.** ” Neo signed with a teasing smile. Pyrrha gives a small growl as she stares at Neo with a deadly look in her eyes. Neo throws up her hands to get her to calm down. “ **I’m kidding! No need to be so serious. But as I was saying, Cinder hired my lover, Roman Torchwick, and myself to help carry out whatever jobs she had for us. We were promised a big reward that could allow us to survive and live a quiet life, so we obviously accepted. However, if only I knew what this job would entail. Roman got very invested into this new job he had, just because of the payment that was guaranteed to be given to him, allowing us to live our dreams.** ” Neo signed, taking a small break.

“And was that dream to steal, plunder and get rich?” Pyrrha asked with a flat tone, knowing what all criminals are like.

Neo’s face reflects that like she was insulted as she puts her hands on her hips and stares Pyrrha down before a playful smile shows up on her face. “ **Those were all means to an end. Our dream was to own our very own island and live a peaceful life. Stealing was just a quicker way to reach that dream. With Cinder’s help, we thought that we would be able to reach that dream even faster. The attack on Beacon was supposed to be our last job before the paycheck. We were told that the Grimm wouldn’t attack us so that we can have an easier time completing the job and causing chaos. But Roman…** ” Neo pauses as a longing look grows on her face. She takes a big sigh as she starts signing again. “ **He was eaten by a Griffon Grimm. I was helpless to do anything as I was flown away on my parasol to God knows where.** ” Neo said as she wipes a single tear away from the corner of her eye.

Pyrrha gives Neo a sympathetic stare as she pats the short woman’s shoulder. “I see. So that bitch lied to you and treated you as one of her pawns.” Pyrrha said, her desire to kill Cinder rising to the boiling point.

Neo gives Pyrrha an angry glare as she nods. “ **That would be correct. That dumb bitch said that we would be safe from the Grimm, right in front of our faces! Yet my dear Roman was swallowed alive by her very own pet! It doesn’t help too that Little Red did absolutely nothing as she just stood there before running away from the Atlas ship that we were on.** ”

Pyrrha’s eyes widen as she steps back slightly. “Little Red? You mean Ruby?” Pyrrha asked. It seems like the two of them have more things in common then they first thought.

Neo nods her head as she takes her hat off, looking at it with a longing sigh before putting it back on. “ **She’s always claimed to wanting to be a great huntress, yet she couldn’t do anything to save Roman, only stare at what was going on like a dumb child.** ” She signed.

Pyrrha clenches her fist tightly, arm shaking as she now knows that Ruby not only failed her job to save people not once, but twice. “Ruby failed to save my love Jaune from the hands of Cinder. She was sure of herself that she could save him and believed that he will be okay. But she would only return with a blank look in her eyes.” Pyrrha said. This obviously didn’t happen, as Ruby was unconscious when Qrow returned back to where Pyrrha was during that fateful night. But due to how broken Pyrrha’s mind is, it forced upon her this false memory so that it could only further her desire for revenge.

Neo clicks her tongue as she shakes her head disapprovingly. “ **That’s what I expected. While my main goal is to kill Cinder for everything she’s done, I would also like to have some, well “fun” with Little Red.** ” she signed with a devious smile.

A smile grows on Pyrrha’s face as well as she leans against a tree that was near the cliff. “What kind of fun are you talking about?” She asks, curious to know what’s going on in Neo’s head. Pyrrha has her own idea on what “fun” could mean.

“ **Well how about we beat her within an inch of her own life to send a message. Not kill her per say, because I can’t fully blame her for Roman’s death, but just enough that it will force her to reconsider ever wanting to be a huntress.** ” Neo signed as she lets out a quiet giggle.

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle as well. “I’m glad you and I are on the same wavelength.” Pyrrha said as she steps away from the tree and walks towards Neo, extending her arm out. “I think you and I will get along nicely partner.” Pyrrha smiled as she waits for Neo to shake her hand.

Neo smiles as well, grabbing Pyrrha’s hand with her own and shaking it firmly. When the two would part their hands, Neo starts signing once again. “ **Oh, by the way, you owe me a new necklace. The one you ruined was worth ten thousand Lien.** ” Neo said with a devilish smirk.

Pyrrha gives Neo a small growl as she glares at her. “I don’t owe you anything. But if you’re so desperate for a new necklace, I can rip out your throat and you can use that as a lovely new necklace.” She grumbled, her tone of voice indicating that she wasn’t kidding.

Neo’s eyes dilate for a brief moment as she puts up her hands to calm Pyrrha down, giving the taller girl a playful smile. “ **I was just kidding! No need to be such a grumpy pants about it!** ”

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle as she pats Neo’s back firmly, causing the shorter girl to wince in pain. “I was too. Probably.” Pyrrha said causing Neo to ponder on what Pyrrha meant by “Probably”. “So, I’m guessing we’re going to go after Ruby first. Thankfully, I know where she lives, and her home isn’t too far from here. The island of Patch is only a four day walk from here, before we have to take a trip by boat.” Pyrrha said as she pulled out a map that she kept in her bag, showing Neo the approximate location, they were at. “Neo, I know you can disguise yourself, but do you think you can disguise me?” She asks.

Neo tilts her head at Pyrrha. “ **I can. I’m guessing you don’t want people to recognize the Pride of Mistral and have them grovel at your feet?** ” Neo signed with a smug smile.

Pyrrha nods her head with a sigh. “Yes. Their… adoration of me is something that I always hated. Besides, for as far as the public knows, I’m dead and I want it to stay that way.” She said with a grumble as the two women start to make their way west.

Neo shakes her hands as she follows after Pyrrha. “ **Oh, how edgy of you! Do you cut yourself with that edge?** ” Neo taunts at Pyrrha’s dispense.

Pyrrha gives a growl as she shoves Neo with her elbow. “I take it back. You and I are not going to get along.” She says a look of displeasure on her face. This is going to be a long journey if Neo is going to be this annoying.

As the two walk through the snowy forest trail, the songs of the cardinals fill the air as they break the silence that was between the two women. Pyrrha looks up and sees two cardinals, a male and a female, nuzzling their heads together as they sing. Pyrrha gives a small sigh as despite her anger and hatred, her heart still longs for the warmth and comfort of her first love. Neo notices this and gives Pyrrha a reaffirming pat on the shoulder. “ **I know Pyrrha… I relate all too much. When you lose that very special person in your life… it’s hard to fill that empty hole in your chest. But hey, at least we can be miserable together! Misery does always prefer company.** ” Neo signed as she tried to comfort Pyrrha the best way that she can. She isn’t super good with this kind of stuff, but she hopes that her words are at least able to help.

Pyrrha sees Neo sign and gives her a smile. “Thank you, Neo, once we both get our revenge on Cinder, I know that our pain will end.” Pyrrha said with determination. With Neo on her side, she definitely feels much stronger now. Cinder won’t stand a chance in hell when she comes face to face with the two of them.

Soon the sun of Remnant would start to lower as the moon slowly rises. The two women were still in the snowy forest of the kingdom of Vale, however they started to notice that as they walked, more lush and green pastures started to peak among the snow, signaling the end of winter and the start of spring. Deciding that they should make camp for the night, Pyrrha and Neo go into the snowy woods, trudging through the snow as they find a small cave. However, inside the cave were a few Ursa Grimm, sleeping soundly. Neo and Pyrrha immediately raise their weapons and point them at two of the sleeping Grimm. Without further hesitation the two of them lay fire on the unsuspecting Grimm, filling their bodies with holes from their weapons. The two Ursas let out a cry of pain before disappearing into black smoke.

Despite two of them being killed, Neo and Pyrrha keep their weapons drawn, waiting for any other Grimm that may jump out from the smoke. Another Ursa lunges out from the smoke, growling loudly as it runs towards Neo, shaking the earth with each step. Neo smiles, opens her parasol, and holds it over her shoulder, twirling it slowly. When the Ursa would stand up from all fours and onto it’s hindlegs so that it can deliver a powerful claw slash, Neo would shatter into glass as from behind the Grimm, Neo stabs at it with her parasol, causing the Grimm to roar in pain. Pyrrha follow ups Neo’s attack by shifting her rifle into a spear and thrusts it into the side of the Grimm’s head. She then jumps over the Grimm itself, keeping a firm grip on her spear as a twisting snap is heard as Pyrrha broke the Grimm’s neck, landing on the other side. She flicks her wrist and tears the head off without any effort, causing the Grimm to disperse into black smoke.

Neo gives Pyrrha a small clap, impressed with the show before she hears another Grimm charging towards her. When the Grimm would stand up to attack, holding out both of it’s arms to deliver a deadly crushing hug, Neo ducks to the ground and slides between the Grimm’s feet. The next thing the Ursa would be greeted to is Pyrrha’s shield being bashed into it’s skull, causing it to fall backwards with a groan. Neo holds her parasol up and catches the massive Grimm with the sharp end, piercing it through it’s spine before kicking it off as it fades away into black smoke once again.

Neo bounces back up onto her feet and gives Pyrrha a small bow and a smile. Pyrrha crosses her arms and gives a small huff of air. “Show off.”

“ **It’s no fun killing Grimm unless you add a little bit of flair to it.** ” Neo signed with a smug smile, causing Pyrrha to roll her eyes.

“Yeah yeah yeah… good job though.” Pyrrha grumbled. When Neo heard this, she gave a small smile, enjoying the praise from the grumpy red head. “Let’s just go ahead and set up camp.” Pyrrha murmured as she puts away her weapons and head into the cave where the Grimm once were. It wasn’t that deep, only going in about ten feet, but it did feel slightly warm inside. When investigating, Pyrrha would see why it was warm, as there was a large crystal of fire dust in the very back of the cave. The crystal shone bright orange and was almost as big as Pyrrha. She gives a small whistle for Neo to come inside, to which the pink and brown-haired girl did. She notices the large crystal and gives a whistle as well, thinking of how much money could be made off of that. “It’s very warm, and it could be quite useful.” Pyrrha commented as she puts her hands on the warm gem, giving a small satisfying sigh as her hands warm up from the bitter cold.

“ **It could be used to make some pretty big profits or make a very big explosion. Either way, not taking this will be a huge waste of an opportunity.** ” Neo signed as she skips playfully around the gem. She leans on it causing the gem to shift a bit from Neo’s weight, catching her off guard. Pyrrha glares at Neo for being reckless, only for the shorter woman to give a shrug. “ **We’ll be fine as long as it doesn’t take too heavy of a blow. Large dust crystals such as these are more durable than you might think.** ” Neo confidently signs as she pats the crystal.

“And how would you know?” Pyrrha asked, feeling that she already knew the answer.

“ **Roman and I stole large crystals from a Schnee Dust Mine way back in our early years. He dropped one about this size on his foot and it was fine. The same couldn’t be said about his foot, however. But it was a bit amusing to see him hopping around in pain.** ” Neo paused as a small airy chuckle escapes her lips, reminiscing on the long-ago memory. “ **I remember that after we took the crystal and sold it on the black market, he would ask me to kiss his foot to make him feel better. He was completely oblivious to the innuendo as I bonked him on the head with Hush before explaining to him what was wrong with what he said. His face was priceless!** ” Neo signed as with the help of her semblance, she recreates the facial expression that Roman had, eyes dilated, face bright red and mouth trembling before shifting back into Neo’s face. Neo squeezes her gut as she heaves over in silent laughter. The sight of Neo laughing so hard and the small story of this supposed criminal mastermind being a clumsy dork causes Pyrrha to give a small genuine laugh. Neo hears Pyrrha laugh and gets back up, giving her a teasing smile. “ **So, you can laugh. Good. It was getting boring to hear you growl all the time.** ” Neo signed.

Pyrrha’s face quickly shifted back into anger as she crosses her arms. “Don’t expect to see it too much. It’s just… the memory reminded me of something that Jaune would do and I couldn’t help it.” Pyrrha grumbles. Neo gives Pyrrha a sad stare before sighing softly. “Anyways, we don’t need to set up a campfire, and uh… you can have my sleeping bag. I’m fine with the stone floor.” Pyrrha said as she quickly took out her one sleeping back and rolls it out in front of the large crystal.

Neo was caught off guard by Pyrrha’s generosity, believing that the Pyrrha that once was is long been gone. Perhaps that Pyrrha is still lurking somewhere deep inside her heart. Not being one to refuse someone’s generosity, whether it be consensual or not, Neo gladly accepts the sleeping back and quickly gets underneath the covers. Pyrrha takes her armor off and lays down to the right of the crystal. “We will set out first thing in the morning. If we’re able to make good time, we can make it to the port in two more days.” Pyrrha said as she lays down and stares up at the cave ceiling, noting the small little gems on top that makes it look like the night sky. Neo gives a small nod and taps the cave floor, in acknowledgment. Soon enough, the two women would be overcome with sleep.

“Can’t you see Neo?! With all the Lien that this Cinder chick is promising us, we can finally live our dreams! Just imagine it, our own private island, away from the law as we live like how we humans are supposed to live! In paradise!” The familiar voice of Roman Torchwick said to the shorter woman, his arm over her shoulder as he brings her in close. “And we can not only start our own family, but our own tiny little community! We will show your stubborn old man how it’s done as he rolls around in his grave.” Roman cooed, caressing Neo’s cheek before kissing her hand.

Neo gives a small blush as she spins her parasol in her hand. This offer sounded too good to refuse! A family with Roman? Building their own society from the ground up? What could be better?! Unfortunately, as Neo was about to respond, she would see a massive shadowy figure rise up behind Roman and engulf her love in darkness. She reaches her hand out in horror, a silent scream escaping her lips.

Neo would suddenly find herself wide awake, tears running down her eyes as she looks around in terror before noticing that she’s in the cave with the large dust crystal. She gives a deep sigh as she looks over to see if Pyrrha was still sleeping, only to find her missing. Her armor was still right where she left it so Pyrrha didn’t abandon her. Perhaps she went out for a midnight stroll? Getting out from the sleeping bag and exiting the cave, she walks through the snowy forest as she tries to find Pyrrha. She would then hear a voice coming from her right. Following the source of the noise, she creeps around silently, making sure to make as little noise as possible.

The voice would get louder and louder with each step until she finds a small light within the darkness. Hiding behind a large tree, Neo would see Pyrrha holding her scroll, looking at it longingly. Curious to know what Pyrrha was doing, she stays put to see if she can spy in on what was going on. Neo would once again hear the voice that she heard early as it starts to speak. “Hey Pyrrha… I… uh… well I think I should apologize first for stealing your scroll. Yeah yeah I know I said that I needed it because I left my scroll in the dorm and couldn’t get in, but that was a lie and I hope you forgive me for that.” The voice would belong to none other than Jaune Arc, the leader of team JNPR. Neo wasn’t super familiar with him, but she could recognize him by his voice. Jaune would continue his message for Pyrrha with a sigh. “I just… well… I wanted to record a message for you. I hope you’re able to read this message before you start your match in the finals during the Vytal Festival so… I just want to tell you how much you mean to me. You… well… umm… I didn’t realize how hard this was. I just wanted to wuh wah!” Jaune shrieked as a muffled banging can be heard as the scroll that Jaune was holding falls to the ground.

Neo could hear Pyrrha give a small giggle, sounding just like the one she gave earlier, causing the brown and pink haired woman to give a small frown of sympathy. Soon enough on the recording, Jaune would pick the scroll back up and give a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god there isn’t a crack, I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I cracked your scroll… but back to the point of this message. I just want to say that… you’re the most important person to me. You saw me at my absolute lowest and strived to help me rise to the top, even though my journey there has only just begun. I’m probably at like maybe the top of the bottom, maybe low mid on this imaginary pyramid that I have in my head but that’s not the point. The point is that, you’re helping me realize that my dream of becoming a hunter to help protect and save the people of Remnant is actually possible and not a far off fantasy as some people led me to believe. And you didn’t have to do any of this! You could’ve just shrugged me off and think that you’re too good for me because of your celebrity status, but you didn’t! Because you’re a kind, caring and humble person through and through. Remnant needs more people like you Pyrrha, because you make a dark and cold world warm up into one that I want to live in. So just… thank you so much Pyrrha. I will cherish our relationship for the rest of my life.” Jaune said before stopping the recording.

Neo could see a small tear running down Pyrrha’s cheek as the spartan holds her scroll tight to her chest. “Jaune… I miss you so much… everything I do is for you. I will never forget you and I will make sure that Remnant never forgets you either.” Pyrrha sobbed as she wipes her eyes and taps on her scroll, making the video play again.

Neo gives a quiet sigh as she leaves to go back to the cave, being left alone with her thoughts. ‘ _Pyrrha… our loves helped shape us who we are. While I can’t make any promises for anything that happens way down the line, but for the foreseeable future, I promise that I won’t leave your side. We will avenge our lovers._ ’ Neo thought to herself as a newfound fondness developed in her heart for Pyrrha. Neo would enter back into the cave get under the sleeping bag and soon fall back asleep.

The cracks of sunlight would shine through the cave opening as the two women slowly wake up from their mostly peaceful slumber. The two stretch their arms as they give a loud yawn before looking at the large crystal. “ **Well what should we do about this beauty?** ” Neo asked with a curious look in her eyes.

“I think it’s too big for us to carry as it will just slow us down. I want to try to get to Patch as soon as possible. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t take pieces of it.” Pyrrha suggested as she took out Milo and broke off one of the gem fragments that stuck out of the large crystal, before stashing it in her bag. She hits the dust crystal again with Milo, knocking off a palm sized crystal and hands it to Neo. Pyrrha does this about four more times so that the both of them have about three large flame dust crystals each. “If we can get into town and find some empty dust cartridges, we can make our own flame rounds. Or we can even use these raw and set fire to something if need be.” Pyrrha thought aloud as she looked at one of the crystals in her hand before putting them away.

“ **I like the way you think! Arson is always fun!** ” Neo signed giving an evil grin.

Pyrrha gives Neo a small snarl, causing the shorter woman to roll her eyes. “We will only commit arson if necessary. It’ll just be a waste to use it for fun.” Pyrrha lectured, not being opposed to the idea but wanting to utilize the dust crystal to its fullest potential. Neo gives a small groan as she starts to waltz her way out of the cave, Pyrrha close behind.

The two girls would find themselves back on the road again, walking down the path in silence for the most part, save for a few tweets from various birds. When noon would strike, Pyrrha and Neo would find that most of the snow in the area they were in has melted as bright green grass sways in the wind. As they make their way, further down the trail, they would find what appears to be a fuel station and diner hybrid. In front of one of the signs they would find a black motorcycle. Pyrrha looks at Neo and gives her a smile. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She asks.

This caught Neo off guard. Pyrrha being the one to suggest that they steal the motorcycle instead of her?! This is something that shouldn’t normally happen! Though then again, Pyrrha is willing to do anything to complete her goal so stealing wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Neo gives a happy and innocent smile as she playfully skips over to the motorcycle, tapping her heels together every now and then as she sits on the sleek black beauty. “ **Oh, we are definitely stealing this bad boy. The poor sap even left his keys in here! This guys misfortune is our pleasure!** ” Neo signed as she gives a happy silent giggle.

Pyrrha walks up to the cycle and investigates it. “Do you know how to drive this? I can drive a car, but not a motorcycle.” Pyrrha asked, a bit embarrassed at the fact but it’s something that in her previous life she never bothered to learn. Neo nods her head as she scoots up towards the front of the motorcycle and turns on the engine. Pyrrha hops on and sits behind Neo, holding her by the waist. “Let’s go then.” Pyrrha said as with a roar of the engine, Neo and Pyrrha took off down the path.

What would’ve been a two-day trip was quickly shortened to six hours from how fast they were going on the motorcycle, not wanting to waste any time. As the sun would start to set, Neo and Pyrrha could see the silhouette of buildings in the horizon, as the port town of Seam came into view. Pyrrha tugs at Neo’s shoulders, getting her to stop at the location they were in. “We need to disguise ourselves now before we get into town. Even though my short hair and scar can conceal me, there are no doubt going to be those die-hard fans that will immediately call me out.” Pyrrha suggested to Neo. “Plus, with you being a wanted criminal, I’m certain that the local huntsmen and huntresses will arrest you on the spot.”

Neo gives a small nod as she looks over to Pyrrha, one foot on the dirt ground as the motorcycle churned. “ **Well do you have any suggestions for a disguise, or do you want me to just go with a random look?** ” She asks.

“Actually, I have a disguise in mind for the both of us.” Pyrrha says, reaching to take out her scroll and scrolling through the pictures. She comes across one that’s of her with a brown haired girl with wavy locks that gradient into a caramel color, wearing a beret, designer sunglasses, a light brown colored shirt with a black scarf who has her arms wrapped around a brown haired rabbit faunus girl with brown eyes, a long sleeved brown jacket and black under armor. The two girls seemed to look very happy as Pyrrha holds up a peace sign. “Their names are Coco Adel and Velvet Scarlatina. They’re two students from Beacon. I was thinking that we disguise ourselves as them when we enter town, rent a hotel, board the ship to Patch and go to Ruby’s house, saying that we want to have a “talk” with Ruby about some important information in regards to Cinder.” Pyrrha said, devising a masterful plan. “Plus, with us disguised as those two, it’ll get Yang to get off our backs as she would immediately trust us.”

Neo nods her head as she studies over the two figures. She gives a small hum and snaps her fingers, shards of glass covering over her as she soon becomes Velvet Scarlatina. She shifts her focus over to Pyrrha who would feel a tingly feeling running over her body as she becomes Coco Adel. “Velvet” gives a smug smile. “ **A perfect reflection if I do say so myself.** ” she signs with pride.

“Coco” gives a smile as she clears her throat. “Very much so dear and leave the talking to me. I know how shy you tend to get.” She said, lowering the sunglasses to give Neo a wink, almost perfectly imitating Coco’s voice.

Neo gives a happy smile, satisfied that her work is being recognized. _‘Just like what Roman used to do._ ’ she thought to herself before revving up the engine of the motorcycle and heading towards the town. The two women would quickly arrive into town and park the motorcycle outside of a hotel, with Neo using her semblance to change the motorcycle’s color to a crimson red color with white highlights, in the event should the original owner stumble upon their bike parked in front of the hotel.

Pyrrha admires the design change and nods her head. “That’s actually a pretty color scheme. Good taste Velvet.” She complimented, staying in character just to be safe. “Velvet” gives a small curtsey before the two walked into the hotel. “Coco” walks up to the counter and rests her elbow as she looks at the clerk. “One two bedroom for the night darling.” She asks as she quickly puts down the payment for the room on the desk without the clerk even telling her the price. “Velvet” was hiding behind “Coco” acting shy as she looked at the clerk from the side.

The poor boy could only stumble on his words as he takes the payment and slides over the key to their room. “Y-your room is 312 ma’ams. P-please have a nice night!” He squeaks with a bow. “Coco” takes the key and starts walking towards the elevator, motion for “Velvet” to follow her.

Once the two would arrive in their room, they would find themselves in a fairly nice-looking hotel room, two plush looking beds with white sheets that look like they were freshly washed and pressed. There were two end tables next to the beds. A scarlet throw rug was between the two beds and in front of the beds was a forty-inch television mounted on an oak bookcase. There was a large window on the wall across from the door they entered with red curtains. Neo dismantles the illusion, causing herself and Pyrrha to go back to their original selves. “ **You’re quite the actress, aren’t you?** ” Neo complimented as she throws herself onto the bed, landing with a ‘ _POMPF!_ ’

“Well, being the Pride of Mistral, it became a requirement for me to have. I’m more surprised that I was able to, for the most part, mimic Coco’s voice.” Pyrrha sighed as she stretched her arms, removing her armor. “You can take the first shower. You look like you need one.” Pyrrha offered with a teasing smile.

“ **Are you saying that I stink?** ” Neo asks with a glare.

“Literally, yes. Figuratively, I will have to see, but survey is leaning towards yes as well.” Pyrrha chuckled as she rests her arms behind her head. Neo holds up her middle finger and flips the red head off, giving an angry glare. Pyrrha gives a small laugh at Neo’s anger. “Fuck you too.” She said with a smile. Neo couldn’t stay angry at Pyrrha forever, as her angry glare would soon be replaced with a smile. She jumps up from the bed and prances towards the bathroom to take her shower.

After a few minutes, Neo would exit the bathroom, dressed in only her undergarments before sparkling glass shines over her as Neo dresses herself in a long pink and white sleeping gown. She motions towards Pyrrha that it’s her turn for a shower, which the red head happily accepts. Once Pyrrha was done showering, she would find Neo laying down on the bed, watching the TV as it reports about the deaths of a notorious bandit named Anzo and his crew the Blunderbore Bandits at the hands of a mysterious masked huntress who called herself Vindicta. Neo looks at Pyrrha and gestures towards the TV. “ **Is that you that they’re talking about on the TV?** ” Neo asks curiously.

Pyrrha nods her head as she goes over to put on Jaune’s hoodie over her undergarments. “Yes, that’s me. I killed those bandits as well as a giant goose Grimm.” She said with a sigh.

“ **Singlehandedly?** ”

“Yep. That’s how I got this scar on my face. Anzo almost got the jump on me but I was able to dodge in time. However, that’s a story for another time. Let’s just say that the reward they gave me is big enough for us to buy a small house.” Pyrrha said as she gives a small yawn before turning off the TV. “Get some rest. We’re leaving first thing in the morning.” She said as she got underneath the covers.

“ **You and your always wanting to leave first thing in the morning. Haven’t you heard that sleeping in is good for your beauty?** ” Neo signed with a sigh as she really doesn’t want to get up early while sleeping in a bed this comfy.

“Suck it up. We play by my rules for now. Besides, if we can get to Patch early enough, we can “talk” to Ruby before her sister wakes up. That bimbo was always a late sleeper, having been late to classes on multiple occasions.” Pyrrha commented.

Neo gives a chuckle at Pyrrha calling Yang a bimbo, giving her a nod as she gets comfortable underneath the covers. “ **That’s fair enough. Well good night.** ” Neo signed before turning off the lights.

“Good night Neo.” Pyrrha said as she soon fell asleep.

The next day, the sun would rise into the sky as the two women’s alarms blared off. Pyrrha gets up and out of bed with a stretch while Neo fumbled her arm around to try to turn off the alarm, before getting out of bed and stretching as well. “Let’s not waste any time. We’ll get a quick breakfast and leave.” Pyrrha says as she dresses herself back in her usual clothes, as Neo did the same. Soon the two women would put on their disguises again and after a quick breakfast, the two would leave the hotel and head towards the dock. As they drove down the streets of the city, passing the concrete buildings, hardly anyone was out and about, which should mean that the first boat to Patch should be leaving soon. The two women arrive at the port and buy two tickets to Patch, figuring that it’s better and easier to buy the tickets instead of stowing away. Plus, they’re able to take their motorcycle on the boat as well so they have an easier way towards Ruby’s house.

After a small one-hour trip, the boat would port in the docks of Patch as the forest island welcomes the two women warmly. Without wasting any further time, they set out towards Ruby’s house, Pyrrha remembering the address and location due to Ruby constantly inviting her and all of Team JNPR to her house during the holidays. After a thirty-minute drive, Neo and Pyrrha would drive up to a small log cabin that was in the middle of the woods. Parking just outside of the property, Neo and Pyrrha get off of the cycle and give a deep sigh, their hearts racing as the clock counts down to the moment when Ruby will face the consequences of her actions.

Pyrrha, disguised as Coco walks up to the wooden door and gives a knock that could be heard throughout the house. They would hear the sound of a dog barking as after a few minutes they would see Yang, a depressed look in her eyes answering the door, hiding slightly behind it. She stares at the two girls in surprise, who stare at her in return. “Coco? Velvet? What brings you two here?” She asks with a warm smile, enjoying the sight of two good friends paying her a visit.

“Oh, we were in the area and figured that we would like to see how you and Ruby are doing. Speaking of, where is the little cutie?” “Coco” asks as she peaks over Yang and into their house. “Velvet” was shyly tapping her fingers together, staying silent, but she made sure to give Yang a warm smile and a happy wave.

Yang’s eyes dull for a moment as she remembers where Ruby went. “Oh… well Ruby isn’t here. She…” Yang trailed off before she got cut off by a masculine voice.

“Yang? Who’s at the door?” Asks a friendly voice.

“Just some friends from school Dad.” Yang responds.

“Well invite them in for some tea! I’ll get the water boiling.” says the voice from upstairs.

Yang opens the door for “Coco” and “Velvet”, revealing herself to be wearing an orange tank top with black sleep pants. But the most eye-catching thing was Yang’s missing arm, having been reduced to a small nub that went to where her elbow should be. Pyrrha stares at the absence of the limb with disinterest before walking in with Neo close behind, who was trying not to smile at the sight of Yang’s missing arm. Pyrrha would immediately see a black and white corgi excitedly running up to them and giving Pyrrha a sniff. He gives a happy bark as he jumps up and puts his front paws on Pyrrha’s leg, immediately recognizing her scent and being so happy to see her again. “Eh! D-down Zwei! Don’t get my pants hairy! They cost 2,000 Lien!” She said trying to shoo the dog away.

“Oh? You know Zwei? I don’t recall you ever meeting him.” Yang said, a bit surprised by Coco knowing Zwei by name.

“Uh yeah I did. Ruby had me meet him before the Vytal Festival.” Pyrrha lied, trying to come up with an excuse. Zwei would soon jump off of “Coco” and walk over to “Velvet” to give her a sniff. When he does, he immediately growls at her, recognizing her scent as he bares his fangs at the girl, ears pinned back. “Velvet” acts scared as she hides behind “Coco” from the growling dog.

“Zwei! What’s gotten into you boy? That’s Velvet! She’s a friend!” Yang said trying to calm him down, but to no avail as Zwei would only bark and growl at Neo once more. Yang gives a soft sigh, moving towards the door and whistles to Zwei. “Come on boy, let’s go outside for a bit.” She said calling for him, yet he didn’t come and instead stayed to growl at Neo. “Zwei! Come!” Yang ordered firmly, only for Zwei to once again not listen. Yang gives a sigh as she walks over to him, kneels down, and scoops him up in one arm, carrying him like a football. She places him outside and points for him to go play before closing the door, much to Zwei’s displeasure. “I’m so sorry about him. I have no idea what’s gotten into him today.” Yang apologized.

“It’s alright dear, though I think that little encounter scared Velvet speechless. You know how she can be sometimes.” “Coco” shrugged off, trying to play it cool.

Yang gives a small smile. “Yeah, well follow me into the kitchen for some tea.” She said, motioning for the two women to follow her. Once inside the rustic kitchen, Pyrrha and Neo would sit down at the log table that was covered with a blue and white checkered tablecloth.

Coming down from the stairs would be a tall blonde-haired man with a tattoo on his arm, this being Yang’s father, Taiyang Xio Long. “Ah! You two are Yang and Ruby’s friends correct?” He asks with a smile.

“Yes. I’m Coco and this is Velvet.” Pyrrha greeted with a friendly smile.

“Coco and Velvet huh? Well how about I get you two some hot cocoa and some chocolate velvet cake bites for you two ladies.” Tai said with a knowing smile as Yang gives him a fist bump.

Pyrrha only gives a loud groan as she rolls her eyes. ‘ _Oh_ _God there’s two of them…_ ’

With a few minutes of small talk, Tai would set down two mugs of hot cocoa in front of Pyrrha and Neo, who take the mug in their hands and take a sip. “So how does it taste?” Yang asks curiously, leaning against the countertop.

“Velvet” gives a thumbs up as she eagerly takes another sip, always having been a lover of sweets. “Coco” however pauses as she stares down at the mug after having taken a sip. Even with something so sweet as hot chocolate, she still couldn’t taste anything. “Is something wrong with the cocoa Coco?” Tai asks with a smile, chuckling softly at the little repetition in his sentence.

Pyrrha shakes her head as she focuses back to the current event. “Oh no there isn’t. It’s very yummy. I’ve always loved anything chocolate. I just had something on my mind.” she lied as she takes another sip of the hot beverage.

Tai and Yang give a soft smile as Yang goes over to sit across from “Velvet”. “So how have things been ever since the fall?” Yang asks, wanting to see how her friends are doing.

“Oh, we’ve been doing quite alright if I do say so myself. It’s been a bit hard to adapt to the new way of things, but with Velvet and the others by my side, we can handle anything. How about you two, and where’s Ruby?” Pyrrha asks, wanting to get to the point of why they came to visit and not dawdle any longer.

“Well Pops and I have been doing good for the most part, just hanging in there. But we’re alright.” Yang said with a smile.

“Don’t you mean “all left”?” Tai asked with a cheesy grin. Yang returns the grin and gives her dad a finger gun, making it clearly obvious that Tai is in fact the father. Pyrrha gives a long and deep internal groan at the sight of these two jokers. A part of her starts to think that Ruby just being related to these two is punishment enough.

“But uh… to answer your question about Ruby. She… well… she left home two weeks ago for Mistral alongside Ren and Nora.” Yang said.

Were it not for the sunglasses that “Coco” was wearing, Yang and Tai could see the intense glare of anger shining in Pyrrha’s eyes. Neo gives a small, frustrated sigh as she finishes her cup of cocoa. “I… see. Did she say why she was going to Mistral?” She asked.

“She remembered hearing Cinder say that she was from Mistral, Haven Academy to be precise. So they’re going there to see if they can find her.” Yang said. Pyrrha slams the table with her fist as she rockets up, her brows furrowed. Neo squeezes tightly onto her mug as she stares angerly into the empty piece of ceramic. These actions did not go unnoticed by Yang and Tai as they look at the two of them with concern. “Is everything alright?” Yang asks, getting a bit suspicious of them, starting to believe that Zwei might have been onto something.

Pyrrha takes a deep breath as she calms herself down. “I’m sorry, it’s just… hearing that name just upsets me. She destroyed our school and killed poor Jaune.” Pyrrha apologized with a bow as she sits back down.

Yang and Tai only stare at “Coco” in suspicion before shrugging it off, figuring that that night was stressful for everyone. Everyone has their own PTSD from the events of that night. “But yeah… Rubes isn’t here right now. Why did you need to see her?” Tai asks, concern growing over his daughter.

“There was something that we needed to ask of her privately. It… involves matters with Cinder in fact. Just some information that we learned from Goodwitch.” Pyrrha lied, trying to get the two blondes to believe them. “I would tell you but Goodwitch said that this information is to be shared only with Ruby.” Pyrrha said as Neo nodded in agreement.

“Well I’m sorry that you guys came out all this way for nothing. But if you two are fast enough, you can maybe try to catch up to Ruby and her friends.” Tai said as he gets up from the table.

“Coco” nods her head and gets up as well. “Right. Thank you for the refreshments. We really appreciate it.” she said with another bow, as “Velvet” bowed as well. “Coco” walks over to give Yang a hug, patting her firmly on the back, causing the one-armed woman to wince slightly.

“Whoa, were you always this strong?” Yang asks with a chuckle, returning the unexpected hug.

“I just started doing some more intense training, that’s all.” Pyrrha said as she and Neo started to leave. “We would love to meet with you two again! Hopefully for longer next time!” Pyrrha called out, waving goodbye as they approach the door. ‘ _No, we do not._ ’ Both Neo and Pyrrha would think in unison. Pyrrha opens the door and Zwei immediately charges in and nips at Neo, causing her to yelp in pain.

“Zwei?! What the hell?! No! Bad dog!” Yang shouts as she scolds the dog, who only whimpered softly. “I’m so sorry about him, are you two…” Yang trailed off as she sees that Coco and Velvet are gone already.

Tai walks over to Yang and gives her a quizzical stare. “Are your friends always this weird?” He asks rubbing her shoulder. He spots something on the ground and bends down to pick it up.

“No, they aren’t. But it’s probably the stress of everything.” Yang said with a huff as she starts to head back upstairs. “I’m going to clean my room. Call me if you need anything.” Yang told her father as she headed upstairs.

“Got it.” Tai said as he picks up a singular strand of pink hair and looks at it curiously. “Now I know I’m not colorblind, but I’m certain that neither Coco nor Velvet had pink hair.” He said to himself before looking down at Zwei. If only dogs could talk, then Zwei would have been able to tell his family everything and save Ruby from a world of hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was quite a long chapter! Next one is probably going to be shorter as we explore what exactly Neo has been up to ever since The Fall. Like always, thank you so much for reading and I will see you next time!


	4. An Extinguished Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long day tracking down Ruby, Neo takes some time to tell Pyrrha what she's been up to ever since the fall.

The loud engine of a motorcycle can be heard echoing throughout the lush forests of the Mistral countryside. Neo and Pyrrha were traveling down a long barren road that was in the middle of the pine forest they were currently in. Winter has melted into Spring as flowers started to bloom along the dirt road, bright and vibrant as they bask in the sun’s warm rays. After having received information from Yang and her father Tai, learning that Ruby, Ren and Nora were in Mistral looking for Cinder; Pyrrha and Neo wasted no time to catch a boat there, wanting to get to Ruby as fast as possible before she gets to the safe haven of Haven Academy.

As Pyrrha rides along on the motorcycle, she looks ahead as she keeps an eye on the dirt road that she and Neo were travelling down. This road is a road that leads to vengeance and bloodshed, a path that both girls are willing to take for their own selfish reasons. Both girls know that Cinder needs to die. It’s a sentiment that’s not only shared between the two of them, but with Ruby Rose, the girl that they’re hunting down, as well. So, if they all share the same enemy, then why bother to waste the energy to injure the poor girl? To them, they believe that it’s too teach Ruby a lesson on her childish beliefs of a knight in shining armor, slaying the dragon and saving the princess are nothing but fairy tales and should stay as fairy tales. They in no way reflect the harsh reality of this world they’re living. At least, that’s the reason they believe. The actual reason, not even they don’t truly know. Is it because they’re angry at Ruby for failing to save their loves? Well whatever the case may be the two women were determined to find Ruby through any means necessary.

With a deep sigh, Pyrrha looks up and notices the sun is starting to set. She looks out at the horizon and sees that they’re no where close to a village. “Neo, let’s pull over somewhere and set up a camp.” She says with a gruff yet tender voice. Neo would give a small nod as she continues driving, trying to find a good spot that can be used as a camp. She would eventually find a small trail that led into the woods, tall pine trees creating a small ceiling over the path that had small specks of sunlight peeking through the branches. Neo turns the cycle into the path and starts to head down the trail for about five or so minutes. Eventually she comes across an empty circular clearing with tall thick grass in the middle. “This looks good. Let’s get started.” Pyrrha said as she hopped off before Neo had a chance to turn the motorcycle off.

Rolling her eyes at how hasty Pyrrha is, Neo parks the cycle up next to a tree, turning it off and takes a small backpack that she had hanging from it’s side. Before leaving for Mistral, the girls made sure to do some shopping buying supplies such as another sleeping bag, ready to eat meals, empty dust cartridges, whetstones, and various other camping supplies. Neo gets started on rolling out the sleeping bags, a white one for her, and a dark crimson one for Pyrrha. Meanwhile, Pyrrha is getting a small campfire started to provide them warmth. Just because it’s spring, doesn’t mean the cold chills of winter don’t linger anymore, and tonight proved to be no different. While their aura does protect them from the freezing cold temperatures of even a blizzard, that doesn’t mean it makes blizzards comfortable. All it simply does is just prevents them from dying from the cold.

Setting a ring of rocks around in a circular pattern, Pyrrha places several logs of firewood inside the circle and ignites it with a lighter, the logs slowly catching fire as a gentle crackling sound fills the air. Neo walks over and holds out two “ready to eat meals” in front of Pyrrha, one saying spicy pork curry with rice while the other said beef lasagna. Neo motions her head towards Pyrrha, as if saying to pick one. Pyrrha shakes her head as she looks up at Neo. “You pick whichever one you want. I can’t taste any of it, so it doesn’t matter which one I get.” Pyrrha explained, this being the first time she told Neo about her lack of taste.

Neo gives a small nod and picks the beef lasagna, leaving the curry for Pyrrha to eat. She opens the packet and takes her water canteen, pouring a tiny bit of water into the packet and closing it so that the food can hydrate. Pyrrha does the same as the two sit on the comfy ground. “ **So, you don’t have a sense of taste huh?** ” Neo signs, wondering how it’s possible to live with this.

“Yeah… started a few weeks after the fall of Beacon.” Pyrrha mumbled, remembering those early days all too well.

“ **Well your lack of taste explains the disaster that is the clothes that you’re wearing right now.** ” Neo teased with an ass eating grin, eliciting a growl out from the bigger woman.

Pyrrha gives a small groan as she’s gotten used to Neo being like this, despite having only been travelling together for almost a week. “The best part about you being mute is that it makes it way easier for me to ignore you.” She said with a grin, not really having the best comeback for Neo’s jab. She could really care less about her physical appearance, in fact she never really was one too care about what she looks besides some green eye shadow that she liked to put on to highlight her eyes back when she went to Beacon.

Neo gives Pyrrha an angry glare as she signs rapidly at the grumpy spartan, only for her words to fall on deaf ears, or in this case blind eyes. Pyrrha hums to herself softly as she ignores Neo’s rapid movements. “This forest is so lovely. I do wish Neo could express her feelings about this forest.” Pyrrha teased at Neo’s frustration, who was letting out audible grunts and growls to get Pyrrha’s attention, before pouting and turning away from her. “Oh Neo!” Pyrrha says in mock surprise as she turns towards Neo. “Is there something you want to say?”

“ **You’re a bitch, you know that right?** ” Neo signs as she pouted, tipping her hat over her eyes to try to look cooler. Pyrrha only gives a small grumble as she starts to get back into one of her moods again. Neo notices that her meal is ready, picks it up and starts eating it with a small fork that was prepackaged on the outside of the packet. Pyrrha took her meal and started to consume it as well, eating quickly so that she could get to bed earlier. Soon enough, she was done before Neo was even halfway through her bag. Neo just stares at Pyrrha with an odd look in her eyes, not really expecting Pyrrha to eat so fast. But then she remembered that Pyrrha said she had no sense of taste and shrugged her shoulders as she finished eating. Crumbling up the bag, she puts it back into her backpack so that they can properly dispose of it later. Just because they were both women who wanted to stick Cinder’s head on a pike, doesn’t mean they will throw trash anywhere. They had standards after all, even someone like Pyrrha agreed that she has some form of standards.

Pyrrha looks into the dancing orange flames of the campfire as she thinks to herself, remembering how she came to be here. She looks over at Neo, the embers of the fire gently floating around her as she looks back. She tilts her head and stares back at Pyrrha, wondering what’s going on in her head. “ **Can I help you with something?** ” Neo asks. “ **And before you ask, no. I won’t transform into Jaune for you.** ” Neo signed with a grumpy expression on her face.

“I wasn’t going to ask you that!” Pyrrha grunted, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. She had considered asking such a thing before, but she felt that it just wouldn’t be the same. Instead what she was thinking about was how Neo got here. What did she do after the fall? Afterall, Pyrrha told her story a last night, so it’s only right that tonight is Neo’s turn. “I was just wondering how you ended up here?” Pyrrha asks with a curious look in her eyes.

Neo gives a smile as she leans back, stretching her legs. “ **Well, my parents wanted to have kids, so my Dad, Barnel-** ” was all Neo was able to sign before Pyrrha cut her off.

“I don’t need to hear your life story. I’m just asking on how you got here from the fall of Beacon academy. What did you do during those long months of winter?” Pyrrha asked, mentally slapping herself as she knew that she should’ve been more specific around a person such as Neo.

Neo gives a silent giggle as she crosses her legs before looking over at Pyrrha. “ **Well it was a fun journey, I must admit. So let me start from right after the fall.** ” Neo signed as she got ready to tell Pyrrha her story.

After a long time of clinging onto her parasol for dear life, Neo would finally find herself near the wreckage of an Atlas Battleship. Looking at her surroundings she would see that the battle is over already, Grimm crawling all over the area as it looks like the last transport ship leaves for the evacuation point, flying above her. She looks around at all the Grimm, trying to find the one that killed her love. She walks through the burning wreckage and eventually, she would find a small group of Griffin Grimm gathered around some kind of point of interest. Recognizing these as the culprits, she draws out her parasol and starts firing at the Grimm, catching them by surprise with her sudden attack. Two of the Grimm would evaporate into black smoke. The other Griffin Grimm take notice of Neo, letting out a loud roar as they charge towards her blindly. Neo gives a snarl as her image breaks into glass, confusing the Grimm on her sudden disappearance. They look around and stick their noses into the air as they try to see if they can smell her location.

Before they had a chance to pick up on her smell, one of the Grimm would feel a piercing pain through their neck, letting out a low groan before dispersing into smoke. As the Grimm faded away into smoke, Neo bounces off of it’s back and stomped onto the skull of another Griffin, hitting it with her parasol to beat it down as she hops from head to head, bashing each Grimm to weaken them. They give out pained grunts as they try to reach up and slash at her with their bird like talons, only for Neo to dodge every single one of them with grace. She lands on the other side of the small group of Grimm, the group letting out a roar as two take off into the air while the other two stayed on the ground. The group charges at Neo, who glares at them as she slides between the legs of one of the Grimm, hooking it with the hook on her parasol, causing it to stumble onto the ground, impaling itself on a sharp chunk of metal as it roars in pain before disappearing into smoke.

As Neo slid, the other Grimm that was on the ground tries to kick her with it’s hindlegs, only for her to shatter into glass once again, tricking the brainless monster and meeting the blade from Neo’s parasol in it’s mouth, going limp as it poofs into black smoke. Hearing the roars above her, she finds two Griffins flying in, talons extended as they grab Neo by her shoulders. The woman gives a hiss in pain as the sharp talons dig into her flesh, before swinging her body so that she can break free and flip herself on top of the back of the Griffin. Once on the back, she swings her parasol at one of the wings, causing it to hang off from the flesh as the Griffin starts flying towards the other Griffin, flying off balanced. The two Grimm crash into each other with a pained roar as Neo jumps off of their backs, twirling in the air as she holds up her parasol, pointing at the two of them and fires the trigger, sending an explosive round of dust at them and causing the Grimm to explode into an inferno.

Seeing the Grimm taken care of, she opens her parasol and floats down to the ground. Once she was back on the ground, she rushes over to the spot where she saw the Grimm gathering around. She gives out a large gasp of horror as her body starts to tremble. In front of her, was her love Roman Torchwick, his white overcoat stained with black ash and blood as piercing through his chest was a large piece of rebar. His cane was snapped in half, dust remnants lingering on the bottom. He must have been able to fight his way out from the Grimm by killing it, only to fall and get pierced on a piece of rebar. Roman almost had a relaxed look on his face as his hat gently dances on the ground beside him, the wind blowing it softly. Neo grabs his hat and holds it in her hands, looking at it before looking at Roman. Her eyes fill up with tears as she gives a loud sniff, wiping her tears away. She puts his hat on and leans down to give Roman a small kiss on his forehead. ‘ _Roman… you fool… we should have never taken the job…_ ’ Neo thought to herself as she sits by his corpse, sobbing softly as tears run down her face.

Neo would stay like this, silently crying over her love, not really caring what may happen next to her. If she would die from a random Grimm, then so be it. She doesn’t care at this point anymore. If she dies, she’ll at least be with Roman again and won’t be alone anymore. The candle flame that lit up her life is gone, extinguished and all that remains is a burnt candle wick, not capable of being lit anymore.

As Neo would grieve, she would fail to hear footsteps and the cocking of guns coming from behind her. She was suddenly broken out from her grief when she hears a loud shout behind her. “PUT YOUR HANDS UP WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!” Shouts a male figure. Turning around she would see five Atlas military personal, guns trained on her as she slowly raises her hands. The leader of the squad motions for the others to get closer and put Neo under arrest.

‘ _I’m not even allowed to grieve for the lost of my love… these bastards!_ ’ Neo thought to herself as she feels her arms being put behind her with a firm grip. She tries to break free from the grip and was able to for a second before she was held firmly in place, the arms of the soldier hooking underneath her shoulders as Neo gives a grunt, trying to break away.

“Just calm down there lady. We don’t want to hurt you. Just come with us quietly and you won’t get hurt.” He says, holding her back. Neo gives a small sigh as she swings her right leg high up into the air. With a small “ _shink!_ ” a hidden blade comes out from the heel of her boot before she swings it backwards, the blade piercing into the soldier’s crotch with a loud squish. The man let’s out a blood curdling scream as he falls to his knees, letting Neo go as he rolls onto his back in pain.

Neo performs a front flip once she was free, grabbing her parasol in the middle of the flip before landing back onto her feet and opening her parasol to block the oncoming gun fire from the soldiers. She starts running around, the parasol acting like a shield as bullets bounce off of it. She closes in on one soldier and closes her parasol, hitting him on the side of the head with the blunt weapon before kicking him down, bashing his face with the parasol once again. When the soldiers would reload their weapons and start firing at Neo, they notice her break away into glass as she disappears. “Where did she go?!” The captain shouts as he looks around, forming into a small circle with his two other men, back to back. The captain would see a small flash of pink and white running towards a chunk of steel, aiming his rifle towards the debris. Then out of the corner of his eye, he spots the same flash of white and pink on the exact opposite of where he saw it earlier. “Come out here now!” He shouts, not enjoying the mind games.

One of the soldiers points out towards a small piece of rubble, walking up slowly to investigate. He goes behind the cover, concealing himself from his comrades. The two soldiers look on in anticipation, waiting for their friend to come back. Soon enough the man comes back and shakes his head, signaling that Neo was not there. The two soldiers give a sigh as they get back into a circle to try to look for Neo once again. However, the soldier that came from the cover gives a wicked smile as he turns around and lays fire into his comrade’s back, causing him to fall to the ground with a lifeless thud. The captain turns around and sees the disturbing sight of friendly fire, only for the soldier to shimmer pink before transforming back into Neo. She tosses the assault rifle to the side as she walks slowly towards the Captain, her heels clicking onto the stone floor like a clock, counting down the final minutes of his life. The Captain fires rapidly at the approaching Neo, who ducks and weaves through the bullets. She would hear a clicking sound coming from the gun as the Captain ran out of ammo.

With a scream he swings his rifle at Neo, who expertly parries it with her parasol, before smacking him on the head. She hooks his neck and swings behind him, kicking him down onto the ground. The Captain gives a grunt as he tries to get up. He hears a loud spine chilling “ _Ssshhh_ ” from behind him, followed by the clicking of high heels, his death approaching him. Neo, having pulled out the hidden blade from her parasol, tossing the strong lace to the side as she spins her blade in the air with the hook handle. Neo whistles casually as she walks over to the fallen Captain. She kicks him onto his back forcing him to look at his killer. Neo had a sadistic grin on her face as she raises the blade high above her head before thrusting it into the Captain’s neck, the man letting out a pained cough, blooding running down his neck before he goes limp.

Neo removes the blade from his neck, giving it a swift flick to remove any excess blood. She goes to the man’s uniform and cleans off the rest of the blood with the fabric, before sheathing the blade back into her parasol. She walks back to where Roman was and kneels down, thinking over what Roman would want her to do. She recalls a very faint memory of her and Roman when they were teenagers on the streets, hearing Roman’s voice in her head. “We’re survivors Neo! Not like those fools back home. Unlike them we will survive using our wit, strength, and our bonds. And, if by some chance one of us is to bite the dust, then the other must survive in their memory. I promise Neo, we will survive together. No matter what it takes.”

He would want her to survive and work towards her dream and not to grieve for him for too long. With a longing sigh, she leans down to kiss Roman’s cold lips softly before getting up and tilting her hat, hiding her eyes in shadow. She starts to walk away quickly, not wanting to get caught by any more Atlas Soldiers. Did she need to kill those men? No, she didn’t, she could have just as easily used her semblance to run away but for a brief moment, but she felt she was possessed by anger. Killing those men with out an inch of remorse. Even now she doesn’t feel bad about killing them. But then again, killing is nothing new to her, she’s killed before to reach her goals and she will kill again. But those soldiers… they weren’t really interfering with her goals. While they did want to put her under arrest, it was a situation where she could easily disappear from their sights.

As Neo would run, she would find herself in a forest and leans against a tree to catch her breath for a bit. She looks around and shivers softly, noting on how the air is getting colder, winter slowly approaching. Giving a sigh she goes back on the run again, no real destination in mind. Just as long as she isn’t here, she could care less.

After a few weeks of being on the road, Neo finds herself moving from village to village, stealing food, cheating people out of their Lien, and indulging herself in sweets. Using some of the money she stole, Neo decides to get a room in an inn of a small rustic farming town she was at, all of their buildings being made of wood. The town itself felt all too familiar to Neo as it reminds her of something that she wished she could forget. Resting in her room, she thinks to herself on what she should do next. ‘ _I don’t know what the best course of action is. Being a wanted criminal doesn’t help matters either as my options are limited._ ’ Neo thought to herself as she lets out a loud groan and throws herself onto the bed. ‘ _I need a drink…_ ’ With a small groan, Neo gets herself off of her bed, taking the key to the room and heads out for a late night of drinking. As she walks down the empty rustic streets of the town, she would pause as she finds a small tobacco stand. There was no clerk currently there, signaling that the stand must be closed for the night. She inspects the wooden stand and gives a small gasp, finding something that catches her eye. There on one of the shelves was a pack of cigars called “Stromboli Cigars” that was locked behind a glass case. A small tear runs down Neo’s cheek. ‘ _That’s Roman’s favorite brand…_ ’ she thought to herself.

She remembers a faint memory on a Roman’s birthday where she got him a large pack of the cigars. He would give a huge grin as he opens the gift. “Oh you shouldn’t have! You know that I can just steal these myself right dear?” He asked her, taking one of cigars as he spins it between his fingers.

“ **Who said anything about me buying these for you?** ” Neo signed with a smug grin.

“Ahahaha that’s my girl. You really are the best!” Roman praises as he takes one cigar and hands it to Neo, lighting both of them. They give one big puff of smoke as they give a happy sigh. “Now I have to think about what I should get for your birthday.” Roman says with a small happy sigh, twirling his cane in his hand.

“ **You don’t have to get me anything. Having you by my side is enough for me.** ” Neo signs, holding the cigar in her mouth.

“Heh, I could say the same thing my sweet strawberry.” Roman smiled, giving another huff of the cigar.

Neo gives a small sigh, remembering that was the last birthday that Roman had before he passed. She reaches up to her hair, pulling out a hairpin as a small strand of hair falls down onto her shoulder, having been pinned up to stay out of the way. She looks around, making sure that the coast is cleared before sticking the hair pin inside and attempt to pick the lock of the case. After a few minutes of fumbling around, the lock lets out a satisfying click as Neo opens up the case and grabs the pack, stashing it in her coat pocket, before swiftly closing the case. She walks away from the stand as if nothing ever happened and heads into a bar.

The bar was surprisingly empty, only having a few patrons casually enjoying their drinks as they talk silently to each other. Neo heads up to the bar keeper and sits on the stool. “ **How much is it for me to buy a bottle of your finest whiskey?** ” she signs to the bartender. She could distract him with her semblance and steal a bottle herself, but she doesn’t really feel like putting in the work to do so.

“It’ll be one hundred Lien Miss.” He says with a disinterested voice, just wanting his shift to be over. Neo places the money on the counter, sliding it over to him as he takes a full bottle of whiskey and gives it to Neo. “Here you go. Enjoy ma’am.” He said before getting back to work. Neo nods her head and walks out of the bar, booze in hand.

Neo would walk out of town, not going too far, only far enough to find a lone tree stump. She sits down on the stump, putting the bottle of whiskey to the side as she opens the pack of cigars. She puts one in her mouth, holding onto it firmly with her teeth as she lights the end with her light. She gives a small puff as she exhales a ring of smoke, holding the cigar with her index finger and a thumb. She picks up the bottle of whiskey, pops the cap of and takes a swig of the bitter substance. She takes another puff of the cigar as she thinks to herself. ‘ _What would Roman want me to do…_ ’ She thought as she looks up towards the broken moon of Remnant. ‘ _He would want me to avenge his death. Kill Cinder for roping him into this mess that turned out to be far bigger than he anticipated as well as bring a world of suffering to Little Red for foiling his plans each and every single time. Then after that, he would want me to survive and live in his name._ ’ She thought as a small glare grows on her face, hand trembling.

She takes another swig of booze as she gives a loud sigh. Now she knows what she wants to do. But the question is now, where does she go from here? She has no idea where Cinder, nor Ruby may possibly be and for all she knows, they could be on the other side of Remnant right now. She thinks once more, smoking and drinking, finding the two help clear her mind from other intrusive thoughts. Perhaps she can try to meet with one of the local gangs around Vale, see if they have any kind of info that may clue her in on the whereabouts of Cinder or Ruby. Though it’s unlikely that they would actually know anything. At least the gangs that are located in Vale won’t know anything. Going to the White Fang would be a risk, due to her being a human and not a faunus. Even if she were to disguise herself as a faunus, it wouldn’t help as they could easily detect her scent and tell that she is a human. Plus, Adam was quite upset at her last time they met, still feeling that the help of Cinder and Roman was unnecessary.

Neo gives a growl of frustration as she throws her head into her free hand, stuck between a rock and a hard place. A flame than ignites in her mind as she remembers a name that Roman said before. ‘ _Lil Miss Malachite!_ ’ Neo thought to herself, remembering that Roman expressed wanting to work with them before Cinder approached the two. Yes, this is perfect! Lil Miss has her influence spread all over Remnant, all she has to do is find someone with a spider tattoo and she will be golden. With her help, Neo will be able to track down Cinder and Ruby and kill Cinder and torture Ruby. She stands up from the stump giving one last puff of the cigar before throwing it down onto the ground and putting it out with her boot. She gives one final swig of booze, letting out a happy sigh as she stares up at the moon. ‘ _You were always a genius Roman, even if I didn’t see it at times._ ’ She thought to herself, tipping the bottle over and pouring the contents onto the ground in remembrance of her lover. She takes the empty bottle and throws it into the trash, along with the butt of her cigar as she heads back to the inn for the night, determined for she now had a plan.

Unfortunately, finding someone that was a part of Lil Miss’s gang was much harder than she thought it would be as weeks turn into months, Winter nearing it’s end. Every town she’s gone to, every shady and dark bar, resulted in no information about any potential members of the gang. Were they perhaps intimidated by Neo and didn’t wish to reveal themselves? Or is it perhaps because the members were all located in one singular building in a specific town she has yet to visit. Whatever the case may be, Neo starts to feel herself losing hope. There’s one town left that she wants to visit that may hopefully shine some light on where Lil Miss and her gang may be. Walking through the snowy woods, her boots crunching in the snow, Neo would hear the sound of rushing water in the distance. This is the way. She’s getting close. She picks up her speed, as she walks briskly towards the source of the sound. Neo would soon find a large crevice, a long rope bridge connecting the two sides together. Behind the bridge roared a giant waterfall. There was a thick layer of fog covering the bridge, preventing her from seeing the other side. With a small grunt, she tightens her hood around her face, cloak blowing softly in the wind as she starts crossing the bridge. Making about halfway through, Neo would spot another cloaked figure crossing the bridge. This is a path that very few people take, so seeing someone else was odd, if not suspicious. Deciding that it’s best to pay no mind to this figure, Neo walks past them. As she did, she picks up an all too familiar scent of iron from their gear. Both figures stopped on the bridge, backs turned towards each other. “You reek of blood.” Said a gruff female voice.

Neo takes out her parasol and taps it on the wooden plank. ‘ _So do you._ ’ She thought to herself, getting ready for a fight that’s no doubt about to break out.

“ **And I’m pretty sure you know what happens from there.** ” Neo signed, giving a quiet yawn as she stretches her arms.

“I see. I’m jealous of you Neo.” Pyrrha said with a grumble, crossing her arms. Neo tilts her head, confused on what Pyrrha could mean. “You got to see Roman’s body one last time and say goodbye to him. I wasn’t granted that pleasure.” She murmured, giving a quiet sniff.

“ **I see… I don’t really know what to say if I’m being honest except that I’m sorry.** ” Neo signed with a sigh as she looks into the fire.

“You, not knowing what to say? This must be a dream.” Pyrrha chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

“ **If you want, I can call you a bitch again.** ” Neo signed with a teasing smile.

“Nah, let’s get some rest. I’m pretty certain we’ll find Ruby tomorrow.” Pyrrha said with a yawn as she lays down onto the ground. She stares up at the stars and thinks to herself what Jaune looked like in his final moments. Was he in pain? Or did he have a relaxed look on his face? Pyrrha shakes her head dismissing the thought. It was obvious that Jaune was in pain. He died in the hands of Cinder. Of course, he would be in pain. Jaune deserved a better death than that. He deserves being able to die happily and in peace, not in cold blood. ‘ _I’ll make sure that you suffer the same death he did Cinder. I will torture you for days on end before I finally kill you._ ’ She thought to herself, glaring up at the stars before rolling onto her side.

Neo looks at Pyrrha, giving the red head a sympathetic look. She couldn’t even possibly begin to imagine what it would be like if she didn’t have a chance to say a final goodbye to Roman. Would she have turned into what Pyrrha is now? A being of pure rage and vengeance? It’s possible, considering the people that she brutally killed right after discovering Roman’s body. But she doesn’t want to dwell on this thought any longer than she should. At the end of the day, she’s still Neopolitan, and she will carry out Roman’s will, no matter what. With a deep sigh, Neo would roll over facing Pyrrha from across the dying fire. “ **Well… good night. Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to find Little Red.** ” Neo signed.

Pyrrha gives a small nod as she wraps herself up tightly in the sleeping bag. “Yes. Good night Neo.” She said before falling asleep, going back into that nightmare realm that she knows so well by now.

The next day, Pyrrha and Neo would wake up and pack their things up, not even sparing time to eat a quick breakfast. Ruby was close, they can feel it. With a roar of the engine, Neo and Pyrrha drive down the dirt road on their motorcycle, wind blowing through their hair. As they drove, they would find themselves in an Eastern looking village that was under construction. The houses were incomplete as the support beams grew moss, indicating that this town will never be finished. They would drive through this place without a second thought, before something catches Pyrrha’s eye. She taps Neo to stop for a quick moment as she hops off. Walking towards the object that caught her eye, she bends down and picks up a red rose petal and what appeared to be a giant scorpion tail. Pyrrha looks at the blood that was running out of the tail. “Still fresh.” She said to herself as she throws the tail down, taking the rose petal to Neo. “Ruby was here not too long ago. We’re getting close, I know it.” Pyrrha said as she hops back on.

Neo gives a nod, an excited smile growing on her face as for finally after so long, she can enact her plan to avenge Roman’s death. With a roar of the engine, the two would soon quickly take off down the road. As they rode down the path, they noticed that the trees around them started getting barren and lifeless, the ground going from a warm green color to a cold brown, almost purple color. As they rode, Neo and Pyrrha spot a trail that leads up to a cliff. Judging from where the cliff went, they assumed that it all leads to the same place. Figuring that having the high ground will grant them an advantage, they drive off towards the cliff trail and ride along it.

Both women’s hearts were beating against their chest as they road through the dead forest, getting closer and closer until finally they reach a cliffside that overlooked a fork in the road they were on earlier. There at a sign that stood where the paths split, was Ruby Rose herself, carrying a stretcher that held a man with a red cape. Ren appeared to be carrying the other end as Nora stuck close to him. Pyrrha takes out Milo and shifts it into a rifle, looking through it’s scope. The man on the stretcher was Qrow, Ruby’s uncle. On his stomach seemed to be a large bandage, blood stained on it. Pyrrha lowers her rifle, heart stopping as she now knows that this is it. It’s finally time. “It appears that Qrow is injured. Good. That just means he won’t get in our way when we attack. Neo, mind disguising me real quick?” She whispered to the brown and pink haired girl. She gives a small nod and soon Pyrrha felt the familiar tingling feeling over her skin as she now finds herself having long brown hair and brown eyes. Her weapons too were changed to look like a generic spear and shield, their vibrant red and gold colors shifting to a plain grey. Her armor changed to that of simple leather gear that most huntsmen wore. Pyrrha takes a deep breath, mind racing and simulating what will happen. “Ruby Rose… your time has come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a shorter chapter this time, but next time, ohohohoho next time. Ruby won't be the same person she was when she started this journey that's for sure.


	5. Wilting Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby questions to herself on whether she truly has what it takes to be a huntress. If she had what it takes, then Jaune wouldn't have died and Pyrrha would still be with them. However, the girl would soon discover that her failure from that night will have consequences.

“JAUNE!!!” Ruby cries out, reaching her hand out towards the crumbling body of the first friend she ever made at Beacon. She sees the blood run out of his neck, the glass arrow that came from Cinder’s bow getting stained with the crimson liquid. She falls down onto her knees and closes her eyes, sobbing heavily. When she would look up, she would see Cinder killing Jaune yet again, as if time has reversed itself. With every blink she sees this horrific sight repeating itself, seeing him die again and again and again. Every time she tries to rush towards him, she would just get held back by some invisible force. Turning around, Ruby would see herself, tugging her tightly by her red hood.

She turns around and sees Jaune dying yet again, but this time Cinder looks towards Ruby, who could just barely see her due to her tears fogging up her vision. “How can you call yourself a huntress if you fail to save the first friend you ever made?” Cinder asks, walking slowly towards her, the glass heels echoing in Ruby’s ears. “Isn’t a huntress supposed to be the hero of the story and save the day? Yet here we are. You’re at your knees, Jaune is dead and you failed to keep your promise to Pyrrha. You’re a failure and nothing more than just a child.” Cinder says as she raises her bow, pulling back the string. “The only use that failures have is to be target practice.” Ruby sees Cinder let go of the string, the arrow flying right towards her eye.

Before it could pierce into the girl, Ruby would let out a loud scream as she sits straight up from the ground she was on. She looks around, panting and sweating heavily, and sees that she’s in the same place that she was from last night. A lush green forest with plentiful bushes between each tree. She sees a small rose bush that’s blooming with a singular lovely red rose right next to a large oak tree. She finds that she’s in a small camp circle, with a small burned out campfire in the middle that only had a few tiny embers of flame lighting the burnt wood. “Ruby?! Is everything okay?” Asks a tomboyish voice. She sees at her side none other than Nora Valkyrie, with Lie Ren right by her side, the two hunters looking at Ruby in concern.

“We were woken up by your loud scream. Did you have a nightmare?” Ren asks calmly, kneeling down next to Ruby.

Ruby gives a deep sigh as she looks up at the sky. Off in the distance she could see the creeping of dawn on the horizon. She looks back at her two friends and gives a quiet nod. “I’m… sorry for waking you guys up.” she apologizes as she gets out of her sleeping bag. “We should probably get going. It’s best if we don’t waste any time.” Ruby said as she starts rolling up her crimson sleeping bag, grabbing Crescent Rose and putting it on her back.

Ren and Nora look at each other, noticing how dismissive Ruby is being of them. “Ruby, do you want to talk about it?” Nora asks, putting her arm on Ruby’s shoulder.

Ruby gives another sigh as she looks at her friends. “Yeah… but can I just have a few moments to myself for a bit please? I need to gather my thoughts.” Ren and Nora give her a comforting nod as they step away to pack up their sleeping bags, leaving the young huntress to herself. Ruby walks over to the rose bush that she saw earlier and stares at the lone red rose. She notices that the rose was being weighed down by morning dew, some of the petals starting to fall off. She wipes the dew off of the rose, causing it to stand up strong. Ruby runs her hand through the rose, appreciating it’s beauty and how it’s texture feels when she experiences a piercing pain in her pinkie finger. She lets out a small hiss as she yanks her hand away from the flower and spots a small drop of blood on the tip of her pinkie finger. She wipes the blood away on her hood and goes back to staring at the rose.

‘ _Am I… strong enough?_ ’ Ruby thinks to herself. ‘ _If I were stronger, I could have saved Jaune and Pyrrha would’ve never gone missing. I know everyone has decided that Pyrrha is dead but… I just know that she’s out there somewhere. She’s strong, unlike me._ ’ Ruby gives a small sigh as she turns away from the rose bush to walk up to Ren and Nora, who were patiently waiting for her. ‘ _Am I really prepared to be a huntress? Is that what I even should do now? If I’m not strong enough to be a huntress then what can I do with my life?_ ’ As Ruby would walk away, she would fail to notice eight rose buds, slowly blossoming alongside the lone red rose.

Ren and Nora see that Ruby is lost in thought, giving her a sad frown as they walk on both sides of Ruby, making their way down the dirt path. “Hey…” Ruby uttered as she looks up from the ground and at Ren and Nora, who were giving the young huntress a comforting look. “Do you think I’m strong enough to be a huntress?” Ruby asks, small tears forming in her eyes.

Ren and Nora were a bit taken back by Ruby’s question, not used to the normally energetic and kind girl asking such a serious question. “Of course, you’re strong enough! You’re one of the strongest people in our year! I mean come on; you swing around that massive scythe like it weighs nothing! So that has to count for something.” Nora smiled, patting Ruby’s back to try to lighten her mood.

“Nora, I don’t think she meant strong in that way and I don’t think now is the time.” Ren corrected as he looks over at Ruby.

“Well… it’s partially that way. If I was just a tad bit faster… I could’ve saved him.” Ruby murmured as she gives a small sniff. “But… I was so caught up in the heroics of being a huntress that I thought I would have been able to save Jaune. But those heroics just… caused me to slow down and not reach him in time. I was so sure of myself, so confident only for me to fall flat on my face.” Ruby sobbed as she wipes her eyes with her sleeve, sniffing softly.

Ren and Nora’s expression soften as they remember the lost of their leader. “Ruby… there was nothing that you could do. All the cards were against us and Cinder was just too strong for any of us. She even killed Ozpin.” Ren said softly.

“But I could have! I could have easily saved Jaune! I may not have been able to beat Cinder, but I could’ve picked him up and ran away from her!” Ruby shouted, getting overrun with emotions as she shed more tears. “If I saved him, Pyrrha would be with us and have never gone missing. We would have been able to stay together as Team RWBY and Team JNPR at our new school and continue our training to be amazing huntsmen! But I didn’t. I just… wasn’t prepared for the weight and responsibilities of being a huntress…” Ruby murmured, looking down at the ground as she rubs her elbow.

Nora rubs Ruby’s back, comforting the young girl as she says. “Ruby, no one was prepared for what happened that night. It all happened so fast that we didn’t even have time to even think about what just happened before something new was thrown at us. It was just one after the other.” Nora said as she brought Ruby into a small hug.

Ruby returns the hug as she cries softly. A few moments of silence pass by as she remembers what Cinder said to her in her dream. “Do… do you guys think I’m just a child?” Ruby asks with a sob.

Ren and Nora look at each other, not sure how to properly answer this question. Ren gives a small sigh as he places his hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “Ruby… you know how I like to usually tell it to people straight and I never mean any offense by what I say. But yes. I do think you’re a child.” Ren said, causing Nora to give her best friend a stunned stare as Ruby looks at Ren, trembling. “You’re a child that was thrusted into an adult role without any mental preparation whatsoever. Those years that you skipped over in your combat school would have also taught you the responsibilities and the harsh realities of what it means to be a hunter. But you were so gifted that you were able to skip all those years and enter straight into Beacon, unprepared for what the world is truly like. That night shattered your world and preconceptions of what being a huntress is as you were hit by the harsh realities of our world. You never had a chance to say goodbye to your innocence and now you have no idea what to do.” Ren calmly explained.

Ruby looks at Ren with tear filled eyes as she lets out a small sob. “And how would you know what it feels? To have your world shattered like that?!” Ruby cries, her voicing rising as she starts to get frustrated.

“Because it happened to me Ruby. I was in your exact same position so many years ago… both Nora and I.” Ren said softly, not feeling any anger at Ruby’s question. His statement causes Ruby to stop for a moment as she looks at both Ren and Nora, standing strong despite everything that life has thrown at them. Nora gives Ren a soft pat as the two of them remember their past and the fear for their lives that they felt. “I know that it seems hard Ruby and that no matter what you do, it feels the world will just push you two steps back. But to answer your question from early, I do think you’re strong. You’re not moping around and giving up on life. You were knocked down, but you got back up and is charging towards life. You were the one that called us to go to Heaven Academy, not Nora, not me but you. You suffered greatly but you keep pushing forward and with a smile. That’s what it means to be a hunter.” Ren explains, a small hint of passion growing in his voice.

“Yeah! It’s all about that determination, and Ruby, you have tons of it! Heck I think you even have more than Ozpin!” Nora cheered, brightening up the mood with her highly contagious energy.

Ruby gives a small giggle at how hyper Nora is being, wiping a small tear away before her frown grows back onto her face. “While that may be true… how can I be a huntress if I can’t even save one person? Huntresses always save the day and help bring peace to Remnant.” Ruby asked.

Nora’s smile fades away as she calms down and wraps her arm around Ruby’s shoulders. “Ruby… I don’t want to be that guy and ruin your childhood but… being a huntress isn’t what it’s like in the fairy tales in our bedtime stories. You won’t always save the day, and sometimes you can’t save everyone. There are some cases where no matter what, someone is going to die and as much as I hate to say it… Jaune was that case. I think he knew that too. He went up to prevent Pyrrha from dying and to buy time so that we could evacuate from Beacon.” Nora explained to Ruby, sighing softly as she gives the young girl a comforting hug. Ruby hugs back tightly as the group stops walking for the moment. Ruby buries her face into Nora’s chest and lets out a long wail, sobbing into the orange haired girl’s chest as her cries get muffled. Nora simply hugs Ruby tighter, knowing that it’s best for her to let it all out. Ren joins in on the hug, hugging the two girls from the side as he takes a small sigh. “It’s okay Rubes… just let it all out.” Nora comforted, a small tear running down her cheek as she thinks about Jaune’s smiling face.

The trio stand together in the spot as they hear a crow caw up from a tree. Eventually, Ruby’s sobs would quiet down to a sniffle as the three of them stand in silence, not exchanging any more words as they take in the comfort of each other. After a few more minutes, Ruby breaks away from the hug and wipes her eyes, giving Ren and Nora a big smile. “Thank you, guys… really I mean it. I thought that after everything that happened and this terrible nightmare I had, that I had no purpose in this world. For all my life I wanted to be a huntress so that I can help people, save the day, and just go on so many grand adventures and explore the world. But after the fall of Beacon, I started wondering if I really should be a huntress and tried to think of other professions that I could take up in, only for me to come up with nothing. There’s nothing more in my life that I want to do than being a huntress. I was so scared that I was going to die without a purpose in this world but thanks to you guys, you helped reaffirm my desire to be the best huntress that ever was!” Ruby grinned, pumping her fist in the air as Ren and Nora give a small chuckle at the girl’s energy. “The world may be hard, cold and filled with suffering, but that’s why we have hunters and huntresses, to help make the world soft, warm and put a smile on everyone’s face. To help make the world a better place for everyone, which is a hard task in of itself, but it’s not impossible. I know that it can happen. It may not happen in my lifetime, but it will happen eventually. I know it.”

“There’s our girl! Back to how she used to be and no more gloom and doom!” Nora cheered, pumping her fist in the air as well as she lets out a heroic laugh.

Ren gives a small smile, rolling his eyes at how eager the two girls are. “Let’s get back on the road, we will be at Haven before we know it.” Ren said as he watches the two girls skip along, walking alongside them.

After a few minutes, their energy dies down as the three walk happily in silence. “Hey.” Ruby said, breaking the silence. “Where do you think Pyrrha is? I know news sources and various kingdoms are saying that she’s dead but, they were never able to find a body.” Ruby asked, wondering about where their friend could be.

“Well she’s not at home in Argus, otherwise we would know by now.” Ren thought aloud.

“Well duh, that much was obvious.” Nora said, poking his cheek with a teasing grin. “But I think Pyrrha is somewhere in Vale, living on her own to train and get stronger.”

“Well if that was true, then why didn’t she just go home where she had the finest equipment around to improve her strength?” Ren asked.

“I don’t know! I was just tossing around an idea!” Nora pouted as she crossed her arms.

“Perhaps she was being chased by Grimm and had to run away since there were so many of them? And as she ran, she got lost and hasn’t been able to find her way back.” Ruby suggested, still heavily concerned for her friend.

“Maybe she got amnesia and doesn’t remember who she is anymore and is now living life as a humble farmer?” Nora offered, rubbing her chin.

“Well whatever the case may be, we can all agree that Pyrrha is still alive right?” Ruby asked with a smile.

Both Ren and Nora nod their heads in agreement. “She’s definitely still alive. She’s too strong otherwise.” Nora explained.

“Pyrrha was always a fighter, and I know that she’s fighting to stay alive. I have no doubt in believing that she’s having an easier time than the rest of us.” Ren said softly.

“After we go to Haven Academy and take care of Cinder, let’s go try to find her. For all we know, Pyrrha could be waiting for us somewhere in Vale.” Ruby suggested with a confident smile. “We will without a doubt find her!”

The trio would soon go along on their journey through Mistral. Along the way they would encounter a scorpion faunus by the name of Tyrian, who wanted to kidnap Ruby. However, her uncle Qrow arrived just in time to stop the attempted kidnap and protect his niece. Unfortunately, he would get stun by the stinger and gets injected with a deadly toxin. Now, unable to walk or perform any kind of action, Qrow is laying down on a stretcher that Ruby and Ren made out of two large sticks and one of their sleeping bags. Ruby looks back at her uncle and gives him a worried look. “Stay strong uncle… we’ll be at Haven soon.” She says softly as she turns her attention back to the front of the road.

Ruby would then hear a faint churning sound in the distance. It almost sounds like Bumbleby, Yang’s motorcycle. Perhaps she decided to come along and took her bike to catch up! She turns around to try to see if she can spot Yang, only to see nothing. She gives out a small sigh, figuring that she might have just been hearing things as it appeared Ren and Nora didn’t notice the sound. As they continued walking, she would end up in a split in the road, two paths going two completely different directions. She stares at the sign that stood in between the paths and gives a small hum, putting Qrow down onto the ground so that she can take a quick rest. The sign says “Kuroyuri” on the left and two signs say “Kuchinashi” and “Mistral” as they point towards the left. The sign that said Kuroyuri is scratched with an X carved into the wood. Ren, upon seeing this, freezes as he takes a small step back. Nora rushes up to Ren to see what the sign says, and her smile starts to falter. “Oh…” Nora mutters as she gives Ren a small comforting pat, knowing the deep history the two have.

Ruby walks up to them as she rides the signs. “What’s wrong?” She asks looking at her two dear friends.

However, before either Ren or Nora had a chance to respond, they would hear the sound of a motor churning it’s gears coming from behind them. Turning around quickly, they would find a black and red motorcycle flying towards them, with two figures riding on top of it. They jump off the cycle as a faint black glow engulfs the vehicle as it flies towards the three of them at high speeds. Nora, who had her hammer in her hands, quickly jumps towards the cycle and bashes it on the side with her hammer, knocking it away from the three of them as it crashes into a den of dead trees, exploding with a loud boom. The two figures land on the ground as Ruby and Ren take out their weapons, ready to fight. “What do you think you’re…” Nora starts to shout before pausing as she recognizes one of the figures.

The figure in question was none other than the brown and pink haired assassin, Neopolitan. “N-Neopolitan?! What are you doing here?!” Ruby asks as she holds her scythe up. Neo gives a small giggle as she twirls her parasol, while the other figure takes out what appears to be a spear and a shield. The second person doesn’t appear to be anyone that the three of them can recognize, as she had brown hair and brown eyes.

The mysterious woman gives a small growl. “Retribution.” She says simply before she charges towards Ruby. Ruby readies her scythe, holding the blade low to the ground and prepares herself to strike. When the brown-haired woman gets closer to the red hooded huntress, Ruby swings her scythe up with high speeds. However, the figure simply dodges out of the way and runs past her, focusing on Ren and Nora. She let’s out a loud roar as she clashes her shield with Nora’s hammer, before pushing Nora away and thrusting her spear towards Ren. He jumps out of the way from the thrusts, firing his twin guns at the woman, who brings up her shield to deflect each shot.

Ruby barely had any time to react to the figure dashing past her as she’s forced to parry a horizontal strike from Neo. Ruby gives a small grunt as she notices that Neo feels far stronger than the last time they fought. She pushes Neo away as she rushes in and spins around, swinging her scythe at the criminal, who jumps away with each strike, giggling happily. Ruby brings her scythe down to the ground, digging it’s tip into the dirt as she pulls the trigger with her left hand, firing a dust round at Neo. Neo opens the parasol and blocks the blast, her heels digging into the dirt as she’s pushed back slightly. Grunting softly, Neo is forced to keep her parasol up to defend herself from each heavy shot from the sniper rifle. Ruby quickly loads in an explosive round and fires it towards Neo. The parasol did it’s job to protect her from the blast, however a small amount of smoke would form around her as she coughs softly. She looks around trying to see if she can spot Ruby. She then sees the smoke slightly shifting from her right before she sees Ruby flying towards Neo in a flurry of rose petals. The brown and pink haired girl smiles as she opens up her arms, welcoming the hit. When Ruby would hit her target, she would see Neo break into glass. However, since the smoke was still lingering around, Ruby spots movement in the smoke coming from her right as she fires another dust round at the smoke, a loud thud being heard as Neo gets sent flying back and out of the smokescreen. She lands against a large tree, causing it to fall down as she gets back up, glaring Ruby down. ‘ _She’s gotten far stronger since we last fought… time to take this seriously._ ’ Neo thought to herself, twirling her parasol as she smiles smugly at Little Red.

As Ren lands onto the ground, he rolls to the side before kneeling down, one leg sprung back digging into the dirt while the other was up, ready to break into a sprint. He fires once more at the mysterious woman, who spins her spear around to deflect each and every single shot. She hears a loud scream coming from behind her as she raises her shield to block a heavy swing from Nora. She gives a pained grunt as she feels the power from the strike coursing through her arm. The woman holds Nora at bay while deflecting each shot from Ren’s guns. When he would hear the familiar sound of clicking, he rushes in, ready to slash at his opponent.

The figure gives a smug smile as she uses both arms to push Nora away, causing her to stumble back before she’s met with a large shield bashing her in the head, causing her to fly into the ground, recovering herself as she rolls. The woman quickly shifts her spear into a rifle, firing multiple shots at Ren, who ducks and weaves between the bullets. He jumps into the air, spinning like a top as he flies towards the stranger. His strikes bounce off of her shield, sparks flying from metal meeting metal. Ren lands on the ground and rushes back in, the figure shifting their rifle quickly into a sword as she delivers a powerful vertical slash, Ren just barely being able to block the blow with his twin blades. He tries to push her away but finds her to be too strong for him to do so. The stranger quickly sweeps Ren’s legs, causing him to fall to the ground as she stabs the earth right where Ren is. He quickly rolls out of the way and hops back up onto his feet to get some distance between him and this stranger. The stranger gives a confident grin before she let’s out a pained grunt, feeling a heavy blunt force hitting her in the spine. “You get away from him!” Nora shouts as she sends the figure flying towards the hillside.

Ruby points her scythe behind her and fires the trigger, causing her to fly towards Neo as she jumps into the air and delivers an upward slash towards Neo. Neo jumps out of the way as she sees Ruby cleave the tree in half that she was just in front of. Seeing that Ruby is open, she runs back in and bashes the side of her head with Hush, causing Ruby to give a pained grunt. She follows up the attack with another bash, this time bringing it down on the top of the young huntress’ head. Neo then jumps past Ruby, flying over her shoulders as she hooks the young girl with the handle of her parasol. Ruby lets out a pained choke as she is forced to come along with Neo, letting go of Crescent Rose. Neo spins in the air before slamming her parasol down in the air, causing Ruby to fly towards the ground and land with an earthshattering thud. The brown and pink haired woman simply opens her parasol and starts to slowly float down, knowing that Little Red isn’t done.

Qrow sees the fight going on and tries to get up, his hand reaching out towards Ruby only for it to fall on the ground as he gives a pained gasp. “Ruby…” He groans lifting his head before it falls down onto the ground, passing out as he sees black overtake his vision.

Ruby gives a pained grunt as she gets up onto her arms and knees, trying to reach for Crescent Rose. She feels a sharp pain on her side, Neo kicking her onto her back so that she can face her gaze. Ruby gives a smile, causing Neo to look at the young girl in confusion. “You should be paying attention more!” She says causing the criminal to do a double take and check behind her. However, Neo spots nothing out of the ordinary besides the fight that her partner is having with Ren and Nora. Suddenly she feels a powerful punch in the side of her face, Ruby having distracted Neo to get up and deliver a powerful sucker punch. The punch was so powerful that it caused the hat that Neo was wearing to fly off as she stumbles backwards, glaring daggers at Ruby, who picked up Crescent Rose.

As Ren and Nora rush in towards the flying figure, they would see her throwing her shield before it got enveloped in a black aura. The figure repositions herself in the air so that her feet would land on the shield, bending her knees and jumping off of the shield with tons of force. Ren and Nora are stunned by what the woman just performed, noting at how familiar it seems. It can’t possibly be… However, before they had a chance to think upon it further, they see the woman rotate herself upside down in the air as she holds her spear horizontally. As she flew by, the shaft of the spear would hit Ren in the neck and Nora on her forehead, causing the two of them to get knocked down onto the ground. With a simple flip, she lands on her feet with grace, holding her arm out as her shield flies back to her. “You’re weak. How can you protect Ruby from me if you can’t even protect yourselves?” The figure said as she slowly walks towards Ren and Nora, who were getting up onto their hands and knees.

“Who… who are you?” Ren asks with a pained grunt. He swears he’s seen this fighting style before. It feels just like it’s Pyrrha’s. But that can’t be her. She would never attack them like this. The figure remains silent as she engulfs their weapons with the very same black aura that felt so reminiscent of Pyrrha. Before the two hunters could let go of their weapons, they and their weapons would be sent flying into the hillside, a large explosion of dirt and dust flying from the crash site.

Ruby stares Neo down, unaffected be her death stare as she waits patiently for Neo to make a move. When she would see Neo’s stare soften and shift into a joyful smile, she immediately turns around to try to defend herself from the real Neo. Swinging her scythe, Ruby slashes the air as rose petals fly from her blade, only for there to be nothing there. She then feels a sharp pain in her back as she feels something pierce into her flesh. Crying out in pain, she quickly turns around and hits Neo with the flat side of her scythe, her parasol staying stuck inside of Ruby’s back as the criminal is sent rolling on the ground. Ruby reaches behind her and pulls the parasol out, giving a loud yelp in pain before tossing it on the ground, trusting that her aura will start healing the wound. Bouncing back onto her feet, Neo flicks her wrists as two hidden blades slide out from her cuffs before running towards Ruby. She thrusts the blades at Ruby’s face, trying to stab her. The young huntress jumps back away from Neo’s assault, ducking and weaving from every single punch that she would throw. Neo let’s out a loud scraggy scream as she lunges her right hand forward with massive force. Ruby jumps to the left and uses the end of Crescent Rose to sweep Neo’s legs who fell on the floor with a soft thud. She raises Crescent Rose and brings it down onto Neo, the woman shattering into glass. Ruby gives a frustrated grunt as she instinctively ducks down hearing a bullet whizzing past the top of her head, Neo having fired a shot at Little Red from her parasol. Ruby let’s out a war cry as she spins herself on Crescent Rose, firing herself towards Neo. Using her semblance, she increases her speed so that Neo didn’t have any time to get out of the way of the giant ball of rose petals before it slams into her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Neo tumbles down onto the ground with a painful roll. She tries to get up but winces in pain as she punches the ground. But she doesn’t need to worry, her friend will finish Ruby off.

The dust settles as Ren and Nora are resting in a crater that they made in the hillside, their auras flashing, signaling that they don’t have much left. With a groan, they fall to their knees before helping each other up. Nora shifts her hammer into a grenade launcher as she fires shot after shot at the slowly approaching figure. The woman moves out of the way with each grenade, counting softly to herself. When she reached five, she would spin her sword in her hands before slicing the grenade cleanly in half as it explodes behind her. One more grenade would be fired towards the mystery woman. “Six” she says to herself, bouncing the grenade off of her shield and back at Ren and Nora. A big pink explosion engulfs the two as when the smoke dissipates, Ren and Nora are laying on the ground, their aura breaking away with a hiss. They look up at their, what they assumed to be, killer as they stare in horror. She approaches the two of them and stares down at them disapprovingly. “You have gotten weaker since we last fought.” She said.

“Last fought? What do you… gah… mean?!” Nora groans as she tries to get up but just doesn’t have the energy to do so.

Before the woman could answer, she would hear a loud scream. “DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM!!!” Ruby shouts as she spins towards the woman with her scythe, kicking up dirt all the while. The woman raises her shield to protect herself from the blow, only to be surprised with the massive force that was met slamming against her. She gives a grunt before her guard breaks as she lowers her shield, stumbling back before feeling a hard boot in her face. The woman flies back as she shines pink before glass breaks around her.

The woman rolls onto the ground before jumping back onto her feet as the three hunters stare in shock at what they see. There in front of her was none other than Pyrrha Nikos herself, alive and well. “P-PYRRHA?!” The three of them shout in unison.

Pyrrha gives the three of them a hateful glare as she growls. “P-Pyrrha, what are you doing?!” Ruby asks only to be forced to go on the defensive as Pyrrha rushes in and rapidly swings her sword at the black-haired girl. Ruby uses the shaft of her scythe to block each blow as she is forced back, not wanting to fight her friend. “Pyrrha! Stop this please!” She cries out, tears running down her cheeks.

“Pyrrha! Stop doing this! We’re your friends and teammates, so why the hell are you fighting against us?!” Nora shouts as she and Ren get up, supporting each other.

Ren shakes violently as he grabs his head. He looks up at Pyrrha and winces in pain. “I can feel so much hatred coming from her. This… this can’t be Pyrrha.” He utters in pain.

“But it is! I was unsure at first but noting her fighting style and semblance, this is without a doubt Pyrrha!” Nora cries, tears running down her face as well, her heart broken by the betrayal of one of her closest friends.

Pyrrha continues to press the attack, roaring in rage as each attack makes sparks fly from their weapons clashing. Ruby failed her, she let Jaune die. This is what she has to do! She needs to teach Ruby a lesson! She swings Milo up high and brings it down hard onto Crescent Rose, causing the blade to get stuck in the thick and hard metal of the scythe. Giving a loud growl as her blade gets stuck, she feels a dull pain in the middle of her face as Ruby headbutts her, causing her to let go of Milo and stumble back. Blood runs down her nose as she stares daggers at Ruby. “Pyrrha please! Calm down! This isn’t you! We can talk this out!” Ruby pleaded, sobbing loudly as she drops Crescent Rose to try to show that she isn’t a threat. “Please we don’t have to fight!”

Pyrrha gives a growl as she slowly walks towards Ruby. “You failed to save him Rose.” She hissed, each step giving a loud hate filled slam. “You watched Jaune die right in front of you! You were so twisted up in your idiotic childish fairy tales, believing that the heroes will always save the day no matter what, that it fogged your mind into believing that you don’t have to try any harder than you already have. And it’s because of that belief that Jaune is fucking dead!” Pyrrha screams as she steps closer and closer to Ruby. Neo slowly makes her way besides Pyrrha, gripping her stomach with one hand while Hush was pointed at Ruby with the other. Neo has reclaimed her hat as a shadow conceals her eyes, but Ruby knew that the criminal was giving her the death glare.

Ruby starts to sob loudly as she finally realizes why Pyrrha is doing this. It’s because she failed to save Jaune. Her childlike self-prevented her from saving the poor young man. She knew it was her fault that Jaune’s dead, she knew it! “Pyrrha! I’m so sorry! I wanted so desperately to save him! I was so close! He was right in front of me!” Ruby sobbed as she gets the feeling that Pyrrha and Neo will pounce on her soon. She picks up Crescent Rose, Milo still embedded into it, as she holds it with a firm grip.

Pyrrha pauses for a moment, a deep part within her wanting to believe what Ruby was saying. Her arms tremble as she looks besides her and sees Neo, remembering who else Ruby failed to safe. “Then explain why you didn’t save Roman. He could have easily been saved from his demise if you just killed the Grimm that ate him. Yet you did nothing. You stood there and stared before jumping off of the ship, caring more about your own life than the life of someone in danger.” Pyrrha growled as she got closer and closer to Ruby. Neo squeezes the handle of her parasol as she remembers vividly the sight she saw as she was blown away in the wind.

“I… I…” Ruby stuttered, not having a good explanation on why she didn’t attempt to save Roman.

“I’ll answer the question for you. It’s because you’re weak and selfish. You saw that if you attempted to save Roman that you would have to fight him again and fearing for your own life, you ran away.” Pyrrha said with a stone-cold stare. “And when you tried to save Jaune, you only stared before running away, not even attempting to try to recover his body as you knew that Cinder would immediately kill you.” Her voice wavers slightly as Pyrrha hears a voice screaming inside of her head, telling her that Ruby didn’t abandon Jaune and that she’s coming up with excuses to hate Ruby.

Ruby grabs her head as she tries to think back on what happened that night, but she can’t remember anything beyond her seeing Jaune fade away into ash. Did she actually run away? Was she in some kind of trance before passing out? Ruby doesn’t know what the truth is anymore! “P-Pyrrha… I’m…” was all Ruby was able to say in between sobs as Pyrrha rushed in to try to bash the broken girl with her shield. Ruby brings up Crescent Rose to try to block the blow as she walks back. Pyrrha grabs Milo and yanks it out of Crescent Rose, before swinging it down onto Ruby’s arm, leaving a large gash in it. Ruby cried in pain as she knew that she needs to fight back, or she will die. Swallowing her tears, she swings Crescent Rose at Pyrrha, trying to fight through the piercing pain that scorched through her arm. Pyrrha jumps out of the way from the swing, before ducking underneath a horizontal swing that Ruby lazily threw out. Pyrrha slides down and pushes herself off of the ground, kicking the young girl square in the chest causing the girl to get knocked back. Neo rushes behind and hits the flying Ruby in her back with Hush, causing her to quickly change momentum as she flies back towards Pyrrha.

Ruby lands on the ground, as her tears mix with her blood on the cold dirt. She quickly gets back up and bends backwards to avoid a sword lunge from Pyrrha before having to fall and roll on her back to avoid another strike from Neo, having to leave behind Crescent Rose on the floor. The two murderous women charge in towards Ruby, swinging wildly at the girl, who is able to dodge most of the slashes. She gets slashed a few times on her chest and steps back just in time as the tip of Pyrrha’s blade scratches her face, going from her cheek, over the bridge of her nose and to her other cheek, no doubt leaving a scar. The two women jump back, and watch the struggling form of Ruby, her aura flashing rapidly, showing that it’s going to give in any time soon. Neo looks at Ruby as she feels a pain in her chest. She starts to wonder if this is really what they should be doing. Hasn’t Ruby suffered enough with this? Perhaps they should just leave her be now, as Ruby has no doubt learned her lesson. She looks at Pyrrha softly, wondering if she should tell her that they should leave.

Pyrrha smiles as she puts her sword and shield away and onto her back. She grabs Ruby by the throat and lifts her up into the air, causing the girl to choke as she struggles to break free from Pyrrha’s firm grip. She feels her arm shaking, her grip loosening on Ruby’s neck very slightly so that the poor girl can breathe. Pyrrha takes a deep sigh as she reaffirms to herself that this is what she should be doing. “Let this be a lesson for you Ruby Rose. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” She growls before slamming Ruby down onto the ground, the force of the impact causing Ruby’s aura to burst and sizzle out. Hearing Ruby’s pained cries, Pyrrha feels something tug on her heart strings as her gaze softens. She reaches her arm out for Ruby very quickly, almost getting ready to say, “I’m sorry!” before shaking her head, telling herself that there’s no need to say sorry.

Pyrrha stares down at the young huntress, cold depressed emerald eyes meeting shaking terrified silver eyes. She reaches behind her and pulls out Milo with a bone chilling “ _CHHK!_ ” as the steel ran against steel. Ruby watches in horror as Milo is held in Pyrrha’s trembling hand. Is… is Pyrrha starting to have second doubts about this? Perhaps the woman that she used to be is still there somewhere within the confines of her heart. Ruby would see Pyrrha raise Milo up above her head, ready to thrust the blade into the ground. Perhaps she was being too hopeful in believing that Pyrrha was still there. This is it. This is what she deserves. She’s failed as a huntress and as a human being. She’s nothing but a failure and the only use a failure has is to be target practice. Ruby takes a deep breath as she closes her eyes, awaiting her end.

Pyrrha looks at how ready Ruby is to embrace death and gives her a soft stare in hesitation. Neo, Ren, and Nora see her hesitation, holding the blade up above her head as her hand trembles. Neo is also able to see Pyrrha’s eyes go soft for the first time since they started traveling together. Those eyes aren’t the eyes of a vengeful murderer, but of an ambitious girl wanting to be the best person she can possibly be. Neo so desperately wants to tell Pyrrha to stop and have them leave but… she can’t. All that could come out was a scraggy sound that could even hardly be called a voice. Pyrrha looks down at Ruby again, her mind racing with only two thoughts. “ _Do it._ ” and “ _Don’t do it._ ” These two phrases repeat inside her head, echoing as the voices grow louder and louder and louder! These thoughts are driving her to insanity! A tear starts to run down her cheek as she lets out a loud scream, bringing her sword and plunging the blade into the dirt beside Ruby’s head.

Ruby’s eyes shoot wide open from the scream as she sees the blade inches away from her face, embedded into the ground. “P-Pyrrha?” She cries, with dry tears. Looking up she sees Pyrrha giving her a small sympathetic stare, a singular tear drop running down her cheek before falling onto the dirt. Pyrrha’s face quickly shifts back to the hateful glare that has become normal to her. In that one brief moment however, Ruby knew that Pyrrha is still in there. That the Pyrrha she knew is still alive and is trying to break free. She’s calling for help and Ruby is going to answer that call. She will save her friend from the darkness that she’s sinking down into.

“Killing you would be a waste of time. Besides, it was never our intention to kill you. Only to make you suffer and teach you a lesson.” Pyrrha said coldly, trying to ignore the thoughts screaming in her head to tell her that Ruby deserves a second chance. “Neo and I have no more need of you.” She said before turning away from Ruby, walking back towards Neo, who reaches an arm out towards Pyrrha, knowing that the spartan is conflicted with her emotions.

“Pyrrha! Please wait!” Ruby cries out, extending her arm to reach towards Pyrrha. “I know you’re still in there! The Pyrrha Nikos that I know! The kind, thoughtful and humble woman from Mistral that loved Jaune and her team! The Pyrrha that would fight with a smile and not a glare! Please Pyrrha! Please come back to us!” Ruby sobbed. Ren and Nora look up at Pyrrha, who was facing towards them. They too see Pyrrha’s cold face turn soft, wanting to go with them, before hardening again.

“Pyrrha please… let us help you! You too Neo!” Nora cried out, slowly crawling towards her fallen teammate. Neo’s face goes soft as she hears the people, she was just fighting against wanting to help her, even despite everything she’s done. Perhaps… she too is deserving of forgiveness.

“Pyrrha… your hatred is over running you. It’s drowning out the real you and making you become a different person! You’re crying out for help! So please, let us help you!” Ren cries out, tears starting to run down his face in a rare sign of showing emotion.

“Pyrrha… Neo… please just come to Haven with us, we will put everything behind us, and we can take Cinder down together! We will avenge Jaune, Roman and Beacon! With all of us together, she won’t stand a chance, even with her maiden powers!” Ruby pleaded, trying her best to appease to Pyrrha’s heart.

Neo hesitates for a moment as she tilts her hat over her eyes, looking away from Ruby Rose. Despite everything, she knows that it’s not Ruby’s fault that Roman is dead, she just made a dumb mistake because she’s still just a kid. As much as Neo wants to hate Ruby for that, she can’t bring herself to do so. She knows what it’s like to be a dumb kid, and all the mistakes you make in your youth without thinking. She looks at Pyrrha softly, almost as if telling her that it may be for the best if they went with Ruby and the others.

Pyrrha stands still in silence, letting Ruby’s words sink in. She trembles as she drops Milo to the ground and grabs her head, falling to her knees as a war takes place inside her mind. She knows she’s in the wrong for doing this, she knows she is! But the monster that is inside her is refusing to accept that and is pushing Pyrrha towards Ruby to finish what she started. Tears run down Pyrrha’s face as she feels herself being in so much pain, only getting worse and worse as she lets the thoughts fight inside her mind. She lets out a small scream as she punches the earth, picking Milo back up as she walks back towards Ruby, knees shaking as she kneels down in front of the young girl, staring at her softly. Ruby gives a small smile, believing that her words worked as she sees that Pyrrha is finally back. “Ruby.” Pyrrha uttered softly. Ruby gives a small sniff as Pyrrha is finally back with her. They can all be one happy team and take down Cinder together. Ruby’s thoughts of grandeur would only be shattered when she feels Pyrrha grab her left wrist before slamming it down to the ground, pinning it. “I’m sorry. But the Pyrrha Nikos that you knew died that fateful night. All that remains is a monster.” Pyrrha said tears running down her cheek as her voice shakes. Sobbing softly, she raises Milo up into the sky and brings it down, being powerless to stop herself.

When Milo would hit the ground, Ruby would feel a pain worse than she’s ever experienced before. It hurt worse than every wall she was thrown into, every stab, every slash. It hurt even worse than the beating that Pyrrha and Neo gave to her. The poor girl gives a loud blood curdling scream of pain, as she brings her hand to her chest, watching blood squirt out from where her pinky finger should be. She stares in terror as she lets out another loud scream, sobbing loudly. Ruby tries to stop the bleeding, but the pain simply hurt too much for her to be able to focus on taking care of the wound. She just wanted to scream and cry. Ren and Nora’s eyes dilate in horror, stunned and unable to comprehend what Pyrrha just did.

Neo stared at Pyrrha in disbelief, Hush dropping to the ground as she witnesses the brutality that Pyrrha inflicted upon the poor girl. She’s used to doing such acts from her life as a criminal, but this… this feels different from all the times she’s done it. When she dismembered someone, she did it for a reason, mainly to defend herself. But what Pyrrha just did… it didn’t need to happen. Ruby was defeated and she didn’t need to suffer anymore than she already has. Neo breathes heavily as she starts to see Pyrrha for who she truly is, a monster. But despite all that… Neo can see that Pyrrha doesn’t want to be this way.

Ruby’s screams die down as they get replaced with loud sobs, the poor girl clutching her hand to her chest as she curls up into a fetal position. Pyrrha looks down at Ruby, expression unwavering as she looks at the wound on Ruby’s hand. Despite the face that Pyrrha wore, it was all just a mask as Pyrrha slowly starts to realize that this didn’t need to happen. Ruby didn’t need to suffer like this. Yet the monster within her decided that this needed to happen. Her heart fills with guilt while her mind tells her that this is the way it’s supposed to be. Pyrrha reaches behind her and into the bag that she carried around with her. She takes out a bottle of what appears to be disinfectant and a roll of gauze, tossing them on the ground and in front of Ruby. “Disinfect the wound and wrap it up. You don’t want it to get infected.” Pyrrha said tenderly as she walks towards Neo. “Let’s go Neo.” Pyrrha said, a faint sob coming from the spartan. Neo looks at Pyrrha and is a bit hesitant to leave before she lets out a long sigh as she walks away with her, picking Hush back up. Ruby watches them leave, vision fogged up with her tears as she reaches her uninjured hand out towards Pyrrha and Neo, before watching them shatter into glass, disappearing from sight.

“P-Pyrrha…” Ruby utters, sobbing softly for the woman that she failed to save. Ren and Nora crawl over to Ruby and immediately start to treat her wound, stopping the bleeding and disinfecting it before wrapping it up in gauze. However, Ruby was oblivious to the help that Ren and Nora were providing as her mind couldn’t help but think back to Pyrrha, and how she seemed to be calling out for help. _‘I will save you Pyrrha… you won’t need to suffer anymore._ ’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... that certainly was a chapter! I should've called this one "Ruby will suffer" lol. But poor Ruby, she didn't have a good day today. Though despite everything that Pyrrha did to her, Ruby still wants to help her friend. Is it because she's being childish and wanting a good ending for everyone, or is it because she believes that Pyrrha is calling out for help? We will just have to wait and see.


	6. Respite

“Pyrrha!” Shouts a familiar high-pitched noise, being muffled by a steel door. Pyrrha looks up from the book that she was reading in her dorm room. She gets up from her bed and walks over to the door, opening it slightly only for it to burst open the rest of the way as a familiar red blur rushes in and gives the spartan a tight hug. “Pyrrha! You said that we were going to play video games today! I’m so excited to be able to teach you how to play “Kung Fu Ninja Slayer Ultimate Death Battle 2”! I know you’ll love it!” She says excitedly, her silver eyes sparkling.

Pyrrha gives a small laugh as she gently pats Ruby’s back, surprised from the hug. “That’s today? Well I can never break my promises!” She laughs softly, welcoming Ruby into her team’s dorm. Jaune, Nora and Ren were out getting food at the cafeteria. Pyrrha wasn’t hungry so she decided to stay behind and take the alone time to get some reading done, only for her to forget that she was supposed to be hanging out with Ruby today.

When Ruby was inside, Pyrrha closes the door and walks over to the bookcase, pressing a switch as a large blue screen made of hard light dust appears above the bookcase. The screen was showing static as Ruby walks up to the bookcase, taking out a small cartridge from her pocket before putting it into a small little slot that was in between two stacks of books. After a few seconds, the screen starts to flash the respective icons for the companies that made the game and soon the title screen shows up as the game announces itself. Ruby sits down on the floor in front of the TV and pats the ground next to her, so that Pyrrha can sit right next to her. The spartan gives a small giggle as she does so, taking out her scroll to use as a controller. Ruby does the same as she boots up the game and soon the two of them would find themselves at the character select screen. “Just choose whoever you want to play as Pyrrha! If I’m to give any recommendations, try playing Monica. She’s a very fun character that’s perfect for beginners!” Ruby explains as she moves her cursor over the picture of a red-haired woman with pig tails, wearing a blue and white kimono and wielding a large scythe. “I personally main Koma, because we scythe girls have to stick together!” She exclaims, pointing her finger into the air before giggling happily.

Pyrrha would only giggle at how enthusiastic Ruby was being as she selects a brown haired and green-eyed woman, wielding a large sword and clad in green armor. “So… what’s Monica’s story?” Pyrrha asks curiously as she looks at the character’s design, noting how she appears to have scars and her armor is scratched and dented.

“Oh! Monica was once a fabled hero of the land! Always the first person to save the day, with the love of her life Ash. But one day, the big mean bad guy named Kira killed Ash right in front of Monica’s eyes and from that point onwards, she went down a dark path of vengeance, determined to avenge the death of her love!” Ruby explains happily, always having enjoyed the lore of this game.

Pyrrha gives a small hum as she takes in the info from Ruby. “I see, is Ash playable too?” She asks curiously as she tries to look around on the character select screen to find the character.

“No, he doesn’t become playable until the next game, in which he comes back as a zombie, which is stupid in my opinion.” Ruby said with a groan. “Like yeah, it makes for good angst and stuff, but it just wasn’t written into the story all that well! Like come on! It’s not that hard to make a compelling story for zombie Ash, instead of treating him like an object that was meant to give angst to poor Monica and that’s it. Nothing else. Just a machine to dispense angst. At least he’s fun to play as though.” Ruby rants as she starts going on and on about some of the various issues that she has with the game’s story telling. Pyrrha can only laugh softly as she listens to Ruby talk on and on about the game. While she has no idea what Ruby is saying, Pyrrha listens anyways, always wanting to hear her friends express their interests, even if she has no idea what they are. Soon enough, Ruby stops talking as she looks at Pyrrha with a small nervous smile. “Sorry for ranting there, I kinda get a bit passionate about this game ahahah…” She laughs, tapping her fingertips together.

“Don’t worry about it Ruby! I’m more than happy to listen to you! It always makes me happy to see my friends get so excited about their favorite interests!” Pyrrha says with a bright smile, to which Ruby gives a small blush and scratches the back of her head.

“Ahaha… you’re a good person to talk to Pyrrha. Always ready to listen no matter what the topic is! But let’s not waste anymore time and start playing!” The young huntress exclaims excitedly as she presses a button on her scroll and soon, they would start playing the game.

Pyrrha looks at the screen and then down at her scroll, taking note of all the various buttons that showed up on the screen. “So… how do I play this game?” She asks curiously. “I’ve never been much of a gamer, unless you want to count fight simulations as a video game.” She presses the right arrow button and notices her character moves to the right. She presses the left button, and the digital character reflects the button press.

“Okay so, you’re getting the hang of the movement already! But if you want to jump just press the up arrow and duck is the down arrow.” Ruby says as she shows the motions to Pyrrha with her character. “For light attacks you press the A button, for heavy attacks you press the B button and for specials you press the X button. All of these attacks can change depending on the directional input. So, if I press forward and A, I’ll do a unique scythe slash while not pressing any directional input has me do a simple jab.” Ruby tutors, holding her scroll close to Pyrrha’s face so that she can see her push the buttons and then see the button presses translate to movements on the screen.

Pyrrha gives a firm nod as she messes around with the controls for her character, simply jumping, slashing, punching, and stabbing the air, accidentally hitting Ruby’s character a few times as she explored the game. “Oops! I’m sorry!” Pyrrha apologizes to which Ruby waves it off.

“Don’t worry about it! It’s a fighting game so there’s no need to say sorry!” She said with a bright smile as she allows her character to serve as a bit of a punching bag. “Those are the basic controls, there are a lot of mechanics that you’ll need to learn that are important to gameplay, but for now let’s just play around simply!”

Pyrrha gives a nod as Ruby starts to fight back, going easy on the newcomer as she doesn’t want to leave a rotten taste in the spartan’s mouth. Pyrrha gives a small laugh as she gets Ruby into a small little auto combo, the game telling her “Nice!” when she finished the combo. “Did you hear that Ruby? The game said that I did a nice job!” She laughs happily.

“I did! You’re doing good Pyrrha! Soon enough, you’ll become a pro at this game!” Ruby laughs as she plays back with Pyrrha. “Oh yeah! I forgot to mention, in order to block, use any of the shoulder buttons. They’re these buttons that are on top of all the others.” She explained, pointing out the two rectangular buttons that rest above all the others. Pyrrha gives a small nod, pressing the button and sees her character use her sword as a large shield.

“Oh okay! Thank you Ruby!” Pyrrha thanks as she goes on the offense against Ruby. The sounds of buttons tapping echo through out the room as the two girls play the game intently. Even though Pyrrha was doing a good job, Ruby still ended up beating her, but it was close though. “Awww seems like I lost. But that was fun though!” Pyrrha said with a happy smile.

“Yay! I’m glad that you’re having fun!” Ruby cheered, jumping up into the air slightly before landing back on her bum. “Am I being a bit too rough with you? I’m quite experienced so I’m trying to go easy on you so that you can have a good time!”

“No, you’re doing just fine! I felt that I had a chance to beat you as we fought! But shall we play another round?” Pyrrha asks, holding her controller with a firm grip.

“Heck yeah! Let’s game!” The young girl proclaimed and soon, with the press of a few buttons, they would start another round. The two girls would fight against each other, laughing happily as they enjoy this simple bonding time with one another. Pyrrha would actually win a few fights while Ruby won most of them. After an hour of gaming, Ruby put down her controller and stretched her fingers, wiggling them quickly. “Whew! That was so much fun Pyrrha! You’re starting to get good at this game! Next time we play, I need to teach you about some of the more in-depth mechanics!”

“I look forward to learning from you!” She says happily, putting her scroll down as she stretches her arms out as well. Pyrrha’s smile falters for a moment as she starts to think to herself. Turning towards Ruby, she looks at the young girl curiously. “Hey Ruby, I know you’re very young to be attending Beacon, but I was wondering, how did you take the news of being accepted into the school?” She asks with a gentle smile.

“Oh! I was soooo excited! I’ve always wanted to go to Beacon, after all that’s where my mom, dad, uncle, and aunt went! So, Beacon had a small legacy of making fantastic hunters!” Ruby said, her smile growing from ear to ear.

Pyrrha gives a small laugh at her enthusiasm and pats Ruby’s back softly. “I’m glad that you were excited! But how did you feel upon arriving?”

“Well, I was still super excited, especially since Yang was with me. But then Yang was carried away by her group of friends which made me come to a realization that since I got into Beacon so early, I was going into the school without any of my friends from my previous school. I was all alone. My feelings also didn’t help when I bumped into Weiss, who was being… well Weiss and we got into a small fight. It wasn’t until Jaune came up to my and started talking to me, treating me as a normal girl and not the girl who exploded in the middle of the courtyard.” Ruby smiles sheepishly, giving a giggle at the distant memory.

Pyrrha gives a happy hum as she listens to Ruby talk about her first day. “So, Jaune was your first friend at Beacon too?”

“He was! He stuck around me and kept me company until I was able to regroup with Yang! He’s such a nice guy. I’m so glad that I got to meet him!” Ruby smiles happily as she gives a small blush.

“Ahahahah seems like we have something in common then! Because Jaune was my first friend at Beacon as well! He was also the first person that didn’t hold me up on a pillar thanks to my status as a celebrity.” Pyrrha told Ruby, giggling at the faint memory of Jaune not knowing who she is, despite Weiss explaining to him over and over that he is talking to Pyrrha Nikos, the pride of Mistral. She blushes softly too at all the times she’s saved Jaune from various Grimm as well as the training sessions the two liked to have at night.

“He is an amazing guy isn’t he Pyrrha.” Ruby says in a soft tone, giving a small sigh as she closes her eyes. “He may not be a good fighter, but his mind for strategy and leadership more than makes up for it. I want to learn more from him. Learn how to be a good team leader as well as how to form a good strategy in the middle of combat. Because if I’m to be honest… I really lack in my leadership skills.” Ruby admits with a chuckle.

“Nonsense! You’re an amazing leader Ruby! You’re a beacon for your team to gather towards and rally behind!” Pyrrha said before wincing softly as she just realized the pun she made. “I’m sorry for the pun… maybe I’ve been hanging around Yang a bit too much.”

Ruby gives a giggle as she waves Pyrrha off. “You’re fine! Yang just has that kind of affect on people. But anyways, do you really think I’m a good leader? I don’t feel like I’m the best, after all I still make wrong decisions, or I start to go solo in the middle of combat and leave behind my team.” Ruby explains, her eyes darting over the dorm room, taking note of the place of every object.

“And that’s why you’re a student at Beacon! Leadership isn’t a skill that you’re going to master overnight, it’s something that you have to learn and trust me when I say this Ruby, but I think you’re an excellent leader. You’re a far better one than I could ever be!” Pyrrha laughed humbly, knowing that she herself wouldn’t make for the best leader, which she figured is why Jaune was elected instead of her.

“Well it’s still hard to compare to Jaune. He just has the natural talent for being a leader. It’s almost as if he’s playing chess on the battlefield.” Ruby praises the blonde, despite him not being there.

“He truly is gifted in that regard. Admittedly, I am quite jealous of his amazing mind. Despite how anxious he can get outside of combat, he’s always able to keep a level head in the middle of combat, even if the fight is a losing one. He keeps calm and pushes through the fight until it’s over. After which all the anxiety bursts forth and he drowns it in food!” Pyrrha laughs softly, knowing that Jaune is good at holding his anxiety in when the moment calls for it. She’s helped comfort his after combat anxieties, especially ones where he lost because as his partner, it’s her job to be there for him. But despite that, she still likes to tease him from time to time. “Sometimes after a really intense fight, he throws up in the garbage bin inside the locker room.” Pyrrha reveals, whispering into Ruby’s ear.

Ruby covers her mouth as she gives a loud laugh. “So, he still is Vomit Boy, isn’t he? It’s like he has two different settings! Jaune Arc and Vomit Boy!” Ruby laughs happily, slapping her thigh as her shoulders heave up and down thanks to how hard she’s laughing.

Ruby’s signature laugh is quite contagious and soon, Pyrrha would find herself laughing alongside Ruby as well. “I remember him telling me the story of how you gave him that nickname! Here’s the best part, he still gets airsick too!” Pyrrha reveals. She knows that she shouldn’t reveal this information about Jaune, but she feels she can trust Ruby to know. Besides, it’s likely that Ruby knows most of this information anyways.

Ruby’s laughter starts to die down as she gives a long sigh. “Oh, never change Vomit Boy.” she said, shaking her head as she gives one last laugh. “But to go back on topic, I do admire that aspect of him. Being able to know when the time calls for a leader, and when the time calls to be a blonde dork. It’s an aspect that I’m trying to learn myself.”

“I think you’re doing excellent so far Ruby. You already feel like a different person on and off the battlefield, while you still keep that charm that makes you, you! It makes listening to your orders far easier as you say each command with confidence.”

“You think so?”

“I know so Ruby.” Pyrrha smiled warmly, patting Ruby’s back. “There are different types of leaders, who like to do things their own special way. So, while yes you can learn from what Jaune does, it’s also important that you stand out yourself with your own leadership role. A leadership role that shout outs Ruby Rose.”

“Thanks, Pyrrha! You really gave me a strong boost to my confidence! I’ll get better as a leader, and soon, I’ll be the best leader around! As well as the best huntress!” Ruby proclaims, standing up and striking a heroic pose, her red hood some how billowing in the wind, despite the fact that the window for the room was closed shut.

Pyrrha gives a small giggle as she watches Ruby act like her normal energetic self. “You’re so full of energy Ruby. It’s always fun to see you move around! I always wonder what you’re going to be doing next!” She laughs as she pats Ruby’s back.

Ruby returns the laugh as she gives Pyrrha a small hug. “And you’re so cool and epic! You’re fighting style is super unique and amazing! I really love how you combine your semblance into your fighting style! It gives you a certain aspect of uniqueness that makes you stand out from others!” The young girl praises as she moves her hands around in an attempt to imitate Pyrrha’s fighting. “I’m soooo happy that I get to be friends with you Pyrrha!”

“As am I Ruby!” Pyrrha laughs happily. As she laughs, the world around them starts to grow dark and fade away from existence. “As am I…” The phrase repeats itself inside of Pyrrha’s head as soon the girl finds herself in a lush green forest near Mistral. Coming back from recollecting the memory, she takes a look at her surroundings and spots Neo walking alongside her silently, which isn’t out of the ordinary for her due to Neo being mute, but it was a kind of silence that wasn’t normal for even her. Pyrrha’s mind races back to what she just did not too long ago, as she looks down at her blood-stained hands.

Neo looks over and sees Pyrrha looking at her hands. She gives a sigh as she gently nudges Pyrrha’s arm. “ **I… I want to talk to you about what happened…** ” She signed as she got Pyrrha’s attention.

“What is there to talk about? Are you just going to tell me what a monster I am? How I thirst only for blood no matter where it comes from?” Pyrrha asks as she clenches her fist and looks dead ahead on the path. “Are you going to tell me that you would prefer to travel alongside Ruby now?”

Neo gives a small sigh, knowing that she’s going have to pick her words carefully in order to prevent her from lashing out or doing something even worse. “ **No… that’s not what I want to talk about. Well not exactly.** ” Neo pauses as she takes a moment to figure out what exactly she wants to say. “ **Well you know you went to far with removing one of Ruby’s fingers, right? She was defenseless and already defeated. She already got the point when you threw her down on her ass.** ”

“I know that Neo. But the monster inside of me kept on telling me that she needed more. She needed to suffer more than what she already has!” Pyrrha growled, disgusted in herself for giving in to her demons.

“ **What is this monster Pyrrha? What is this foul and terrible beast inside you that keeps on encouraging you to kill?** ” Neo asks, signing quickly as she starts to get concerned over her newfound friend.

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle before taking a deep breath. “This monster… it’s constantly in my head… telling me things. Telling me things to kill, pillage and rampage, all in the name of Jaune. It wanted me to kill Ruby then and there and I’m… so disgusted at myself for even listening to it.” Pyrrha utters, a single tear running down her cheek.

Neo gives Pyrrha a sympathetic stare as she reaches up to wipe the tear away from Pyrrha’s face. “ **The fact that you didn’t kill Ruby and only dismembered her finger is proof enough that you can fight against this monster. While you still did a terrible thing, it could’ve been far worse so take that as a small little victory.** ” Neo smiled, trying her best to be supportive for Pyrrha. She’s really hoping that this works because she’s not the best with this kind of stuff.

“How can you consider that a victory?! I still did a terrible thing to a defenseless woman, a woman who was one of my closest friends!” Pyrrha shouts, stomping on the ground with intense force as she glares at Neo with anger, more so at herself than Neo.

Seeing this kind of rage was normal for Neo, after all Cinder was always known to have a bit of a short temper from when they worked together, so Neo didn’t feel insulted at Pyrrha lashing out against her. “ **Pyrrha, I think what you meant to say was that Ruby is one of your closest friends.** ” Neo corrected with a soft smile.

“W-What do you mean?” Pyrrha stumbled, her anger dying down as she refuses to acknowledge what Neo is implying.

“ **Ruby still sees you as a very close friend! She’s not exactly subtle about her feelings. How she so lazily fought against you, how she constantly tried to talk to you and how she reached out to you despite the fact that she was in a small puddle of her own blood, wanting to grab you and bring you back to her. It’s obvious that Little Red still cares deeply about you. Hell… she cares about me too.** ” Neo paused as she takes a deep sigh, looking up at the evening sky. “ **I thought she didn’t save Roman because to her, he was a bad guy. But seeing how she reacted to you questioning her reasoning for running away and how she wants to avenge him as well… it made me feel that she regrets not being able to save Roman too.** ” Neo rambled softly with a sigh.

Pyrrha gives a small humph, refusing to believe that what Neo is saying is true. She doesn’t deserve forgiveness. The only thing she deserves is death for all the sins she’s committed. “What makes you so sure of that? You know how naïve and foolish Ruby is. She still believes that being a huntress is some heroic fantasy that will always result in a happy ending.” Pyrrha grumbles.

“ **Oh, don’t give me that shit Pyrrha! I know that she’s naïve and a bit foolish, but I think she knows what it means to be a huntress now! My own self hatred for the girl blinded me from realizing it but Ruby was a major part of the Battle of Beacon! She was there in the front lines and saw all the deaths and tragedies firsthand! So, don’t say she doesn’t know that being a huntress involves lots of sacrifice because I think she knows it pretty damn well right now!** ” Neo signs rapidly, letting out a small scratchy yell as her eyes burn with anger, getting tired of Pyrrha’s excuses.

Pyrrha took a small step back as she watches Neo lash out at her, not sure what to say. “Neo… I…” Pyrrha muttered only for her thoughts to be interrupted by Neo letting out another loud yell that sounded like sandpaper was rubbing against her vocal cords.

“ **I’m not done! You will listen to me god dammit! Stop being so self-awash in your own self pity that you shut yourself from reality! Take the time to look around and see that there are still people out there that care about you! Ruby, Ren and Nora, they all wanted to help you! I want to help you too Pyrrha! This brief time we spent together and how you treat me just like how Roman did, not as a partner or a servant, but as a friend! So get your head out of your ass and let us fucking help you!** ” Neo signs rapidly, getting so caught up in her emotions as tears start to run down her cheeks. She didn’t expect to feel so strongly for Pyrrha like this, but her being the first person that gave her company in a world where she was all alone, being a flame that lit up her life just like how Roman was, she couldn’t help herself and started caring immensely for the spartan.

Pyrrha was silent. How could someone like her be so deserving of help? It doesn’t make any sense to her at all! She’s a terrible person and terrible people deserve to suffer for everything they’ve done. “Why do you think I’m so deserving of help?! Why?! I don’t understand!!!” Pyrrha screams, tears running down her face as she gets confused on why she’s so deserving of help. “I don’t understand!!! I don’t understand… I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!!” She sobs loudly, falling down onto her knees as she buries her face into her hands. Neo kneels down next to Pyrrha, the tall spartan in an act of weakness, showing her more sensitive side that she never showed to anyone, even back at Beacon. Neo pats Pyrrha’s back before wrapping her in a small hug, causing the girl to look up from her hands and at Neo, body trembling as her arms move in and around Neo, wrapping her in a tight hug as she buries her face into the pink and brown haired girl’s shoulder. Neo gives a small quite hum, rubbing the back of Pyrrha’s head as she feels the tough girl let out years of pent up tears into her shoulder. “Why… why am I deserving of help?” She sobs, taking deep gasps of air in between each sob as her hug grows tighter and tighter with each sob.

Neo gives a soft sigh as she leans away from Pyrrha, breaking away from the hug so that she can sign. “ **It’s because of what you’re expressing right now. You’re showing remorse for your actions and you’re saying that you need help, even if you don’t think that you deserve it.** ” Neo signed softly, reaching up to wipe away some tears from Pyrrha’s cheeks. “ **From the stories you’ve told me, I know that Jaune would want to help you too. He would want to dive into the darkness and pull you out, no matter what the risk is to his own life. So please, please know that you deserve help. Let us help you.** ”

Pyrrha gives a sad smile as she lets out one final sniff before hugging Neo once again, finally believing that she is worth a damn and that she deserves help. “Thank you, Neo… thank you so much! I’m so happy that I got to meet you. I fear to imagine what I would be like if I never met you on that bridge.” Pyrrha uttered, patting Neo’s back before breaking away from the hug and standing back up on her feet. She helps the shorter girl back up onto her feet too.

“ **Well you probably wouldn’t be here right now, telling me your feelings.** ” Neo signed with a teasing smile.

“Yeah yeah… I’d still be an edgy bitch.” Pyrrha giggles, feeling the tension in the air relieving as the two women start to joke around a bit. “Come on, I know you want to say it. Just go ahead and spit it out you bastard.” She laughs, showing the biggest smile she’s ever had before.

Neo let’s out a silent laugh as she slaps her knee and looks up at Pyrrha. “ **Okay you edgy bitch! Though you’re not really that edgy anymore if I’m to be honest. You’re more of just a regular bitch now.** ” Neo signs, cheeks going red from how hard she’s laughing.

Pyrrha gives another laugh as she starts to walk down the path again. “And you’re no longer a pain in the ass. Just a regular run of the mill pain.” She teases, gently nudging the shorter girl.

“ **Hey! I’m more than just a run of the mill pain, I’m at the very least a pain in the neck!** ” Neo signs with a goofy smile.

“If you say so my friend!” Pyrrha chuckles, wrapping her arm around Neo’s shoulder and bringing the girl in close as they continue to make their journey down the path. Soon the laughter between the two women would die down as the two walk in happy silence. Pyrrha gives a small sigh of content as she looks at the trees. “You know… I’ve been thinking.” Pyrrha said, looking down at Neo. She looks up at the red head and tilts her head, motioning for her to continue. “Well, I’ve been thinking that… maybe we should take Ruby up on her offer. Go to Haven with her and maybe… help her fight against Cinder. With all of us working together, we can give Cinder Fall the most brutal forms of punishment for all the suffering she has brought unto us. We can each get in a good blow on Cinder, after all there’s one limb for each of us.” Pyrrha smiles at Neo.

Neo gives a confident smile as she nods her head. “ **I call one of the legs.** ” She signs with excitement.

“I’ll let Ruby decide on what she wants to take. But all three of us can take her head at the same time.” Pyrrha laughs.

“ **I don’t think Little Red will want to go that far.** ” Neo signed as she doesn’t see Ruby being that blood thirsty. “ **But she will at the very least want to put Cinder through a fate that is worse than death before killing her.** ”

“Hmm you may be right. Well it’s something that we will have to discuss with her. Haven isn’t that far away from us, and I have a feeling that Ruby, Ren, Nora and Qrow are already there. Not sure why, but it’s just a gut feeling I have.” She says softly as she walks off the side of the path. “Let’s go ahead and make camp for the night. I’m positive that tomorrow we will arrive at Haven. But now I’m regretting us throwing our motorcycle at the three of them.” Pyrrha sighed as she quickly starts to make a small campfire.

“ **Yeah I am too, but you have to admit, that was cool as hell.** ” Neo signed with a grin, remembering the little stunt. She’s always wanted to do that just because of how cool it was in the movies she watched with Roman.

“It certainly was. And I must admit, I didn’t watch your fight with Ruby all that much, but you did an amazing job. It makes me happy that we’re on the same side. I would hate to go against you in a battle to the death.” Pyrrha compliments as she lights the campfire and rolls out her sleeping bag, sitting on it with a gentle sigh.

“ **The feeling is mutual! You’re a fierce warrior. I’m certain that if we weren’t limited by the size of that bridge, our fight would have been much tougher for the both of us. Hell, I’m even willing to bet that we both may have lost a finger or something.** ” Neo signs with a giggle, remembering their first meeting.

“Ahahahah! I think so too! One of these days, you and I have to have a sparring session. Perhaps once we get to Haven, we can have a fun fight with each other.” Pyrrha suggests as she lays down on the sleeping bag.

“ **I look forward to it!** ” Neo signs happily as she lays down as well. The evening would go by without too much trouble as the two women would eat their meals and soon quickly fall asleep.

When Pyrrha closes her eyes, she would find herself transported into an area that was all too familiar to her. Looking around she finds herself on top of the roof of her dorms at Beacon. She looks down and is a bit confused, as she looks like she’s still dressed the way she was earlier. “Hey Pyrr. It’s been a while huh?” Asks a familiar voice that causes the woman to freeze. She slowly turns around as her knees tremble. Before her was the love of her life, Jaune looking perfectly healthy as if he has never died.

“J-Jaune?!” Pyrrha cries out, eyes fogging up with tears.

“Yeah, it’s me. Sorry that I uh… don’t look the best I- Whoa!” Jaune shouts in surprise as he sees Pyrrha running towards him before scooping him up into a tight hug.

“Jaune!” Pyrrha bawls, tears running down her cheeks as she hugs the blonde knight tightly, not ever wanting to let go of him. He feels as warm as he always has. “Oh Jaune! I missed you so much! You have no idea how hard it was to go on without you!” She sobs as she buries her face into Jaune’s shoulder.

Jaune gives a soft sigh as he pats Pyrrha’s back. “I think I can get a feeling Pyrr. But… I need to tell you that I’m still dead. This is just a dream Pyrrha.” He says softly, gently caressing her cheek as he looks at the spartan.

“I know Jaune… but please let me be selfish this one time. Let me enjoy this dream.” Pyrrha says softly as she cups Jaune’s cheek. She gives her lover a firm kiss on the lips before breaking away with a happy sigh.

Jaune smiles as he lets Pyrrha kiss him and dote on him. He knows that she needs this, just for a little bit. When Pyrrha would break away from the hug he gives her a loving look as he holds her hands. “You’re still just as beautiful as I last remembered.” He says softly.

“As are you Jaune.” Pyrrha coos, giving her man another chaste kiss.

Jaune chuckles softly from Pyrrha’s affection before looking at her softly. “I want to talk to you about something Pyrrha. It’s about what’s going on now.” He says softly.

Pyrrha’s smile falters for a moment as she lets go of Jaune’s hands, only for him to grab them as soon as she let go. “I’m… sorry Jaune… I’m sorry that you had to see all of that…” Pyrrha apologizes as she gives a small sniff. “I didn’t want to do it… but I just felt myself lose all control.” Pyrrha sobs, tears running down her cheeks again.

Jaune reaches a hand up and rubs the tears away. “I know you lost control, but I forgive you. All of us do. Ruby, Neo, Ren and Nora, they all forgive you.” Jaune says softly, reaffirming what Pyrrha already knows.

“I know that Jaune… Neo made it pretty clear to me earlier today.” She laughs softly, kicking her feet on the floor as she swings her and Jaune’s arms. “But I still can’t help but feel guilt for my actions.”

“It’s something that will haunt you for a while but use that guilt to fuel your desire to bring down Cinder. She’s the one that caused you to lash out against your friends. In fact, she’s hurt all of your friends in more ways than you could ever know. If anything, seeing how she has hurt your friends should fuel your desire to bring her to justice even more.” Jaune explains softly, his soft blue eyes looking at Pyrrha’s with love.

Pyrrha gives a small sigh as she closes her breath, thinking about all of her friends. Because of Cinder and her attack on Beacon, Ruby is traumatized and lost a finger, Weiss is forced to go back home to her abusive father, Blake is on the run because of her previous involvement with the White Fang, Yang lost an arm, Neo lost the love of her life and was left all alone, and Nora and Ren lost their leader Jaune, only having each other to rely on. Pyrrha opens her eyes as fires of determination burn inside of her. “You’re right Jaune. It was selfish of me to imagine that I’m the only one that Cinder hurt. She’s hurt all of my friends and she will pay for what she’s done!” Pyrrha growls with determination as she looks up towards the broken moon of Remnant, noticing how it starts to fade away slowly.

“I’m happy to hear that Pyrrha. Fight for your friends and carry on my role as leader. I know you feel you’re not the best but let that determination that’s burning inside of you drive you to become the best leader you possibly can be!” Jaune says with a smile as he gives Pyrrha one last hug.

“I will Jaune. I won’t let you down! From this point forward, everything I do is for you and my friends.” Pyrrha declares as she clenches her fist. “Thank you so much for telling me all of this Jaune. I love you so much.” Pyrrha cooed as she gets closer to Jaune, leaning down slightly so that she can kiss him.

“I love you too Pyrrha, but there’s one more thing-“ Jaune said before getting cut off by the kiss, slowly kissing back.

As the two star crossed lovers kissed, Pyrrha would feel the dream world that she was in disappearing around her and soon she would find herself back in reality, laying on the large sleeping bag that she was currently sleeping in. She sits up and sees the sun rising over the large pine trees, giving a small sigh as she gets up from her sleeping bag. This was the first time Pyrrha has had a dream this pleasant in a long time. It’s been nightmares for as long as she could remember but now, she was able to sleep peacefully and she feels fully refreshed. She gives a big stretch before packing away her sleeping bag. She notices Neo getting up and gives the short woman a big smile. “Good morning Neo! Did you sleep well?” She asks happily.

Neo gives Pyrrha a weirded-out stare, not used to seeing her like this. “ **Who the hell are you and what did you do to Pyrrha?** ” Neo signs with a teasing smile.

“Oh, silly Neo! It’s still me, Pyrrha! I just had a very pleasant dream last night! Man, I haven’t slept like this in year!” Pyrrha giggles as she helps Neo up from the ground and rolls up Neo’s sleeping bag.

Neo gives a soft laugh as she gets up to her feet and stretches herself. “ **I’ll admit, you’re kind of scaring me. What happened to the grumpy bitch that I’ve come to know and love?** ” Neo asks with a giggle as she stretches her legs out.

“Don’t worry! I’m certain she’ll be back in a few hours. But let’s get back on the road! Mistral awaits us!” Pyrrha said excitedly as she picks up her things and starts to walk down the trail.

Neo gives a small sigh as she shakes her head, following after the tall spartan. This is the first time she’s seen Pyrrha so happy like this, it’s a nice sight to see. She would like to see her like this more often but this small, rare instance of pure happiness from the spartan just makes them all the more special. Neo taps Pyrrha’s arm as the spartan looks down the criminal. “ **So, what’s the game plan?** ” Neo asks curiously.

“Well the current plan is to go to Haven Academy and reunite with Ruby and friends. I’ll need to talk to her privately to discuss somethings but afterwards, we will stick around with them for the foreseeable future.” Pyrrha said softly, her excessive happiness starting to die down. “It’s time for me to seek revenge against Cinder for not just what she’s done to me, but for everything she’s done to you, Ruby, Ren, Nora and all my other friends.” She explained with determination glimmering in her eyes.

“ **Fighting for your friends huh? You truly are a goody two shoes at heart aren’t you Pyrrha?** ” Neo scoffs with a smile, twirling her parasol in her hands. “ **Oh, what the hell, count me in too. While I’m admittedly a bit nervous at how the rest will react to me wanting to help, but as long as I’m with you, I feel I won’t have to worry. Though I still can’t make any promises on me not stealing anything.** ” Neo signs with a cocky smile.

“And I expect no less from a trash gremlin such as yourself! Besides, it could come in handy at some point in the future.” Pyrrha teases as she wraps her arm around Neo’s shoulders, causing the shorter girl to give a quiet “Eep” in surprise. “Besides, I won’t let the others do anything to you and make sure that they fully understand that you want to help us. I’m certain that Ruby will help with this as well.”

“ **Yeah she probably will. Little Red always liked to see the good in people.** ”

“That she does.” Pyrrha nods, giving a soft sigh as the two women walk down the forest trail together, the future is looking bright for the both of them and with them joining Ruby and her team, well they’re lives are shining brighter with hope, more so than it ever has before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Also happy Vol 8! Let us hope that Vol 8 will be a good one! I'm already quite excited for where this Volume will take us.


	7. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha and Neo finally reunite with Ruby and her friends. Using this brief time of peace, they meet the mysterious farm boy Oscar, and learn the truth about this world, before they would have to fight for their lives yet again.

The travel to Mistral felt like a very fast journey for both Pyrrha and Neo, despite the journey taking them a day to travel on foot. When the two women finally arrived in the mountain city, it would be the early hours of the morning. The two would give a small sigh as they take a look around, appreciating the natural view of this city. “It’s been so long since I’ve been to Mistral, I forgot how beautiful it was.” Pyrrha said softly as she took a look around the small city street, she was currently in. There were countless stalls and market booths selling various items from food, jewelry, weapons, clothes, and books. The city streets were also full of various people and faunuses peacefully getting along and discussing amongst each other, despite the fact that it was still early in the morning. Pyrrha gives a small sigh as she takes in the familiar sight and sounds of Mistral. She continues walking down the stone paths of Mistral as Neo walks alongside her. “Mistral was established on a mountain, and the higher up you go, the wealthier the people are, with those at the bottom of the mountain being in the lower class.” Pyrrha explains with a gentle smile.

Neo gives a small hum as she starts to sign. “ **That’s quite some symbolism right there.** ”

“It is. It’s something that I’ve always would like to change but, I’m just one person and I can’t change that by myself. Besides, there are other matters that take priority over this.” Pyrrha said as she stops in the middle of the street and looks up the mountain. “Up at the very top is Haven Academy. Ruby, Nora, Ren and Qrow should be there by now.” she says with a sigh as she starts to feel butterflies flying around in her stomach. “I’m… a bit nervous about Qrow, considering what I did to Ruby.” Pyrrha uttered as she starts to twiddle her fingers.

Neo gives Pyrrha a firm pat on her shoulder as she gives the spartan a smile. “ **I think Qrow wouldn’t know it was you. Ruby would probably lie and say that she lost it from a Grimm or something.** ” she signs, trying to ease Pyrrha’s nerves.

Pyrrha takes a deep breath and gives Neo a happy sigh. “You’re right. Ruby wouldn’t want to reveal that kind of information if she still cares about me.” she says as they walk down the stone streets, passing by oriental houses before ending up on a road that leads up to Haven. It would be a long walk up the mountain for the two of them, as there were many flights of stairs that they had to climb. Pyrrha was having no trouble with climbing the stone stairs that were lit by torches, while Neo on the other hand was holding onto the railing with one hand and had her parasol supporting herself on the other. Pyrrha turns around and looks at Neo, rolling her eyes as a small smile creeps on her face. “Quit being such a drama queen. It’s not that bad. We’ve done more walking than this before.”

Neo gives Pyrrha a glare as she stops to sign towards the red head. “ **Yeah but we weren’t going up stairs the entire way, especially not ones as steep as these!** ” She signs with a grunt.

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle as she goes down a few steps to stand alongside Neo. “Would you prefer that I carry you? We’re not that far from Haven now.” she asks in a way that’s hard to tell whether she’s being serious or not. Neo looks at Pyrrha with a questioning stare and before she had a chance to respond, she would let out a gasp of surprise as Pyrrha scoops Neo up into her arms, carrying the short girl in a bridal carry. “I always expected you to be light, but not this light. You weigh nearly nothing.” Pyrrha comments with a chuckle.

Neo gives blushes brightly and crosses her arms, giving a small pout. She didn’t ask for this, but she’s not going to complain about a free ride. When they would reach the top of the stairs and find themselves on the large campus of Haven Academy, Pyrrha would set Neo down as she lands with her heels clicking on the stone floor. She looks up at Pyrrha and dusts herself off. “ **Thanks, I guess. But don’t expect me to return the favor. You’re way too heavy for me to even think of picking you up.** ” Neo signs with a grumpy expression.

Pyrrha looks at Neo and raises her eyebrow. “Are you saying that I’m fat?”

“ **Yes. I am.** ” Neo answers with a firm nod, a teasing smile on her face.

“You bitch.” Pyrrha grumbles, the corners of her mouth forming a small smile at Neo being Neo.

“ **Pot meet kettle.** ” Neo retorts with a smug grin.

Pyrrha gives a silent laugh as she starts walking through campus. “Let’s just try to find Ruby. When we do, I would like a few moments alone to talk to her if you don’t mind Neo.” Pyrrha says softly as she looks around campus to try to find any trace of the girl with the red hood. Neo gives a small nod as she walks alongside Pyrrha, trying to find Ruby.

The two women would walk around until they suddenly find Ruby, sitting down on a balcony that looks over the edge of the mountain. Alongside Ruby was what appeared to be Yang and Weiss. How did those two beat them here? Well no matter, they found Ruby. Both Pyrrha and Neo hide behind some bushes and wait for Ruby to be alone. They see Yang get up from the ground and stomp away, with what seems to be an angry look on her face, though the reason why she’s angry is unknown to the two women. Weiss quickly chases after Yang and leaves Ruby alone, who gets up and leans over the railing of the balcony. Pyrrha takes a deep breath as she hesitates to get onto the balcony. Neo gives the nervous girl a pat on the back and a reassuring smile, causing Pyrrha to smile as she gets out from the bushes and jumps onto the balcony. Neo gives a small smile and walks away to wait for Pyrrha to be done, not wanting to eavesdrop.

When Pyrrha would land onto the balcony, Ruby would immediately turn around and spot her old friend. “P-Pyrrha?!” She utters, holding her left hand over her chest. Pyrrha looks at Ruby softly and spots a large white bandage covering where her pinky finger should be, causing Pyrrha to give a soft frown. She also sees the large scar that ran across the young huntress’ face, causing her to reflect back on what happened that day. “W-What are you doing here?” She asks, walking up to Pyrrha slowly, not sure if this is a dream or Pyrrha is actually here.

“Were they not able to save your finger?” Pyrrha asks softly, ignoring Ruby’s question.

Ruby gives a small sigh as she looks away for a moment. “Yeah… it was too late for them to save it so now they’re just letting my wound heal for the time being. The doctors told me to take some time to rest but, there’s still business that I need to do, and I can’t rest until everything is done.” Ruby replies with a soft smile.

Hearing that Ruby wasn’t able to get her finger reattached caused Pyrrha to tremble softly as guilt started to flood her heart. “I-I’m sorry…” She whimpers softly, barely audible for Ruby to hear.

Ruby notices Pyrrha starting to lose her composure and walks closer to her, putting her hand on Pyrrha’s shoulder. She wasn’t able to hear what Pyrrha said so she asks. “What was that?”

Feeling Ruby’s touch, Pyrrha falls to her knees and let’s out loud sobs into Ruby’s shoulder, hugging her tightly. “I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry! I shouldn’t have done that to you!” She bawls loudly.

Ruby quickly gets on her knees as well and hugs Pyrrha tightly, a few tears running down her cheek as well. “Don’t be sorry! It’s not your fault! I don’t blame you for this happening!” She mutters, rubbing Pyrrha’s back to try to comfort her.

“But it is! You were defeated and I should’ve just left you there! But instead I…” Pyrrha pauses to give a loud sniff. “I… I took away your finger and left you to wallow in your own blood!”

Ruby only hugs Pyrrha tighter, knowing that she can’t be mad at her. “Pyrrha! Please stop! It’s okay! I forgive you! It still hurts but it doesn’t hurt as much as my heart does seeing you in pain!” Ruby sobs, letting out loud sniffs as she hugs Pyrrha even tighter.

Pyrrha trembles in Ruby’s hug as she hears that Ruby is so quick to forgive and forget, treating the incident like she never even lost a finger in the first place. How could Ruby just shrug off such a life changing moment for her? All because they were friends? It just doesn’t make any sense. “I…” Pyrrha trembles as she thinks on what to say. Ruby must be saying that she’s sorry to soothe Pyrrha, and not genuinely mean it. That’s the only reason why she’s “forgiving” her. Suddenly she would then get a small thought in her head. Just a small thought, but despite how small it was, it roared in her head. Maybe… in order for Ruby to truly forgive her… Pyrrha gives a small sob as she breaks away from the hug and reaches behind her for Milo.

Ruby stares at Pyrrha, eyes still covered in tears as she gets a feeling on what Pyrrha is doing. “Pyrrha… don’t…” She murmurs with a sniff.

“An eye for an eye… that’s the only way you can forgive me.” Pyrrha utters as she holds Milo out in front of her. Pyrrha slams her hand down onto the stone ground and raises Milo high into the sky, ready to bring it down on her own pinkie finger.

“PYRRHA DON’T!!!” Ruby screams as she tackles Pyrrha down onto her back, trying to wrestle the blade out of her hand.

“GET OFF OF ME!!! THIS IS WHAT I NEED TO DO!!!” Pyrrha screams as she tries to fight back against Ruby so she can enact justice on herself.

“NO, YOU DON’T!!!! NO MORE BLOOD NEEDS TO BE SHED!” Ruby shouts as tears drip onto Pyrrha’s golden chest plate, as she grabs Pyrrha’s wrist with one hand, and using the other trying to wrestle the blade out of her fingers.

“RUBY PLEASE STOP! GET OFF!” Pyrrha bawls as she tries to kick Ruby off of her chest, but the girl wouldn’t budge. Pyrrha knows she can easily kick Ruby off. She just knows it! The young huntress has always been super light so the strong spartan should be able to kick her off. Yet Ruby is still cradling her chest as she continues to wrestle with Pyrrha’s fingers to remove the blade. Is it perhaps that Pyrrha too believes that she doesn’t need to do this? Or is it because Ruby has gotten far stronger since they last had hand to hand combat like this. Whatever the case may be, Ruby wasn’t budging as with a small shout from the red hooded huntress, she pins Pyrrha’s arm down to the ground.

Working her fingers, Ruby is able to get Milo out of Pyrrha’s hand and knocks it to the side, the metal screeching across the stone floor. Pyrrha tries to reach for Milo but gives up as she looks up at Ruby. Ruby gives a small frown as she quickly leans down and wraps Pyrrha in a tight hug. “Please… please don’t do this. You don’t need to exact justice on yourself. I already forgave you, so please forgive yourself!” Ruby sobs softly into Pyrrha’s shoulder.

Pyrrha looks up at the sky and gives a few small sobs before she hugs Ruby back tightly, closing her eyes as she buries her head into Ruby’s shoulder. She doesn’t say anything, only gives small quiet sobs as she’s struggling to forgive herself. If Ruby, the girl that suffered so much because of Pyrrha’s quest for vengeance, could forgive her… then maybe she can forgive herself too. “I… don’t know if I can…” Pyrrha sobs as her mind becomes a fierce ocean that reflected who she once was. The waves of hate and fury crash against the reflection on the waters, causing it to disappear. When the waves would die down, a new image that resembled what Pyrrha looks like currently takes the place of the original image. When the waves would crash against the image again, it would stand strong and keep it’s shape.

Ruby gives a small sniff as she pulls away slightly. “Then let me help you! I can help you forgive yourself Pyrrha! All of us can! So please, stay here with us.” Ruby pleads as her soft silver eyes peer into Pyrrha’s emerald green eyes.

Pyrrha wipes her tears away and silently nods her head, giving a small sniff. “Please… I want the help. I don’t know where to start…” She murmurs.

“Then let’s start by reintroducing you to everyone. Yang and Weiss are here too and I’m certain that they’ll be pleased to see you!” Ruby smiles happily, one last tear drop running down her cheek before she gets off of Pyrrha and helps her up. “And we can introduce them to Neo too! Well an introduction that isn’t so… stabby and murdery.” Ruby laughs softly. “Speaking of, where is she?”

Pyrrha gives a small laugh at Ruby’s silliness as she rubs her eyes, wiping away the tears she shed. “Neo wanted to give us some privacy so we could talk. Let me call her real quick.” Pyrrha said as she gives a small whistle. Soon, appearing behind Ruby, would be Neo, glass breaking around the space that was behind the young huntress, causing the girl to jump up in surprise.

“Gah! Neo!” Ruby shrieks as she gives a small shiver. “You scared me!” Ruby laughs nervously as she calms herself down. Neo gives a small giggle as she taps her parasol on the stone ground, amused at Ruby’s reaction. She may not want to kill Ruby anymore, but she never said anything about not wanting to tease the young huntress.

“ **And I’m certain that I will scare you plenty more times in the future!** ” Neo signs with a grin.

“Please don’t…” Ruby mutters as she shakes at the thought of Neo scaring her at any possible opportunity. It’s a good thing that Ruby knows sign language as well, otherwise talking to Neo would be much more difficult.

Pyrrha laughs softly as she looks at her two friends. “Welcome to the club. This bitch will take every opportunity to tease and taunt you. In my opinion, it’s far better than trying to kill you.”

Ruby stares at Pyrrha in disbelief, stunned by what she just heard. “P-Pyrrha?! Did you just swear?!” She exclaims in shock. For as long as Ruby knew her, Pyrrha refused to say any kind of swear word. Not even damn. In fact, the two of them had this in common as they playfully formed their own little club called “No Cuss Club”. Some other members that they had in this silly little club was Ren, due to how quiet he was most of the time, Blake for the same reason as Ren and surprisingly enough Coco, the heavy weapons fashionista refusing to use curses as she claims it’s unbefitting of someone of her position. Needless to say, Yang was banned from ever even looking at the club.

Pyrrha looks at Ruby with a raised eyebrow. “Yes? Is there something wrong with that?” Pyrrha asks, a bit confused on why the young huntress is making such a big deal out of this. Neo watches the exchange, giggling to herself as she hears about how innocent Pyrrha used to be. She likes this Pyrrha far better than the old one from what she’s hearing.

Ruby stomps her foot on the ground with a pout. “Of course, there’s something wrong with that! It means that the vice president of the No Cuss Club must get kicked out! We formed this club together Pyrrha!” She cries, her eyes fogging up with fake tears as she overreacts to this for the sake of entertainment value.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry!” Pyrrha apologizes, only for her to realize that she just swore. “Fuck!” She shouts as she stomps her foot on the ground. Ruby let’s out a loud gasp with each and every single swear that Pyrrha said, all the while Neo was bending down in silent laughter as she wipes a small tear away from the corner of her eye.

“BANNED FOREVER!!!” Ruby declares dramatically as she points her finger at Pyrrha, her eyes dilated as she stares Pyrrha down, finger unwavering. A moment of silence would pass before the two huntresses would give a small chuckle with Ruby laughing louder than Pyrrha. “But seriously Pyrrha… hearing you swear is just unnatural.”

Pyrrha shrugs her shoulders as she gives a small sigh. “Well it’s something that you’ll get used to eventually.” Pyrrha said as she looks over at Neo, who was recovering from her laughing fit. “And you’ll get used to that too.” Pyrrha said gesturing towards Neo.

Neo sees this and gives a small glare. “ **You just gestured towards all of me.** ” She pouts, giving a small “ _Humph_ ” and crossing her arms.

“See what I mean?” Pyrrha asks, causing Ruby to giggle softly.

“Well as long as you don’t try to kill us, we would love to have you aboard Neo!” Ruby says happily as she holds out her hand to shake Neo’s hand.

Neo hesitates for a brief moment before grabbing Ruby’s hand and shaking it briefly. She’s never been apart of a true team before, for the most part it was just her and Roman. While she was part of a team with Cinder, Emerald and Mercury, it was more of an alliance to get a job done and even then Neo wasn’t with the four of them that much, having been more on the infiltration and information gathering side of things while the three kept up appearances and avoided suspicion. But now she’s being asked to join an actual team, and if her experience with partnering with Pyrrha is anything to go by, she will enjoy herself here. Neo retracts her hand and starts to sign. “ **I can promise that I won’t kill you. But I can’t promise that I won’t tease you goody two shoes.** ”

“Well, you take what you can get I suppose.” Ruby shrugs as she motions for Pyrrha and Neo to follow her. “Come on, let’s go tell Yang and Weiss that you’re here.”

Neo gives a small smirk at the mention of Yang, remembering the last time the two met. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, for Yang that is. Neo had tons of fun toying with her and taking advantage of her short temper back during that fight on the train. Neo hopes that Yang still has a bit of a temper so that she can have fun teasing the tall blonde and not get punished for it since they’re comrades now. Although considering how she was when Neo and Pyrrha saw her again while they were disguised as Coco and Velvet, she seemed to have calmed down a lot.

The tall spartan looks down at Neo and notices her visible excitement. “You must be happy to see Yang again. I wonder why?” Pyrrha sarcastically ponders.

“ **It’s a mystery that will remain unsolved until the end of time.** ” Neo signs as she skips along through Haven academy, humming softly.

Eventually, Ruby would lead the two to what appears to be the entrance to a dorm room, the wooden door blending in with the wooden walls, almost as if they’re secret rooms were it not for the shining brass handles. “You guys wait here; I’ll go get Yang and Weiss.” Ruby says as she opens the door. When she walked inside, Ruby would see Yang and Weiss hugging each other softly, causing the girl to give a soft smile as she sighs happily. “I don’t mean to interrupt this tender moment, but I have someone that I would like you two to meet.” Ruby says happily.

Yang and Weiss give a quick look to each other, eyebrows raised as they wonder who this someone is that Ruby wants to introduce them to. “Who is it that you want to introduce us to Rubes?” Yang asks curiously as she pulls away from the hug her and Weiss were in.

As if on cue, Pyrrha walks through the door and into the two-bed dorm room, a small smile on her face. “Hello again.” She says softly, still speaking in a deeper tone of voice, having gotten used to speaking like this and doesn’t find herself going back.

Yang and Weiss freeze when they see Pyrrha again and eye her up and down, wanting to make sure that this is truly Pyrrha. While she does have some different armor, her hair was cut short and she has a large scar over her face, this still is Pyrrha Nikos, the woman everyone thought was dead after the fall of Beacon. “Pyrrha!” Weiss and Yang shout simultaneously, as they jump up from the bed and give Pyrrha a tight hug, catching the girl off guard. She freezes for just a moment, not sure what to do before wrapping her arms around the other two girls, returning the hug.

“We thought you were dead!” Weiss sobs softly, burying her face into Pyrrha’s chest.

“I’m so glad to see that you’re safe…” Yang utters as she gives Pyrrha a tighter hug.

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle as she breaks away from the hug, only for her to be pulled back into the hug by both Yang and Weiss. “It’ll take a lot more than Cinder and some Grimm to kill me.” She says with a small smile.

Both Yang and Weiss soon break away from the hug as they look up at Pyrrha. “We’re… so sorry about what happened to Jaune. He died too soon.” Weiss said softly, remembering all the tragedies that happened that day.

“Yeah… he didn’t deserve it. He should be here with us right now.” Yang murmured, looking down at the floor.

Pyrrha clenches her fist at the memory of Cinder killing Jaune, trembling softly as her rage attempts to take over. “I know. He shouldn’t have died. That is why I am going to kill Cinder for everything she’s done. Not just for killing Jaune, but for everything she’s done to all of my friends. She’s responsible for all the tragedies that happened that day, and the events that happened because of the fall of Beacon. I will make Cinder suffer for everything she’s done. By the time I’m done with her, there will be nothing left except for a red puddle stained on the floor.” Pyrrha utters coldly, brows furrowing as her rage builds up more and more, revealing to Yang and Weiss the woman she has become.

Yang and Weiss freeze for a moment as they behold what Pyrrha has become. The Pyrrha Nikos that went to Beacon would’ve wanted to defeat Cinder and lock her away in prison forever, only killing Cinder if it was a last resort. But the woman before them now, is a woman that only wants to kill and torture Cinder for everything she’s done. The white and yellow duo then realize that perhaps Pyrrha truly is dead, at least the Pyrrha they once knew is dead. But maybe she’s just deep inside this new Pyrrha somewhere sealed within the confines of her heart. “Pyrrha…” Yang muttered softly, not sure how to take this new Pyrrha.

“What happened to you?” Weiss asks softly, looking up at Pyrrha with caring eyes.

“It’s none of your concern.” Pyrrha replied with a cold expression on her face.

Ruby, sensing the tension forming in the room gives a nervous chuckle as she tries to get the attention of Yang and Weiss. “Not to disrupt anything but… there’s still one more person I want you guys to meet.” Ruby says nervously, tapping her fingers together.

Yang turns around to face her younger sister. “Well, who is it Rubes?” She asks curiously. When Ruby would get out of the way to introduce the newcomer, Yang’s face changes from shock to an intense glare as she recognizes the face of the newcomer. The pink and brown hair, white over coat and a parasol? There’s no doubt about it that this is Neo Politan. She brings out Ember Celica and the gun on her mechanical arm and points them at Neo, all the while Weiss takes out Myrtenaster and points it at the poor woman. “What the hell is she doing here?!” Yang shouts. Neo gives a sigh as she rolls her eyes, unsurprised by their reactions as she doesn’t even bother pointing her parasol at them.

Ruby tries to calm everyone down, motioning for them to lower their weapons. “Everyone just put down your weapons! She’s here to help us!” Ruby proclaimed, trying to soothe her two teammates.

Pyrrha was leaning against the door frame, an amused smile on her face as she watches the show go down. Pyrrha knows that Neo will be fine, after all she heard a few clicks of high heels behind Ruby, showing that the Neo that they currently see is just an illusion in the event that Yang tries to shoot her.

Weiss gives Ruby a stare. “What do you mean she wants to help us?! She was a part of the attack on Beacon! She worked with Cinder!” Weiss shouts, amazed by how idiotically trusting that Ruby is of a criminal who has killed many people.

“She tried to kill me by stabbing me in my throat!” Yang exclaims, still upset at her bitter defeat on the train that day.

Ruby and Pyrrha look back at Neo who gives a nervous shrug. “ **It was one time!** ” She signs. Weiss’ glare intensifies by this statement, while Yang’s raise up in confusion, having no understanding of sign language. Neo takes note of this as a devious grin grows on her face at all the fun she could have with the blonde.

Yang’s look of confusion shifts back into a glare as she sees the devious smirk growing on Neo’s face. “See! She’s already plotting on how to kill me!” She shouts, ready to pull the trigger at a moment’s notice.

Pyrrha chuckles, knowing already why Neo is grinning and what plans she has for Yang. “No, she isn’t plotting to kill you. That’s simply her being happy to meet you all.” Pyrrha says with a smile, causing Weiss and Yang to look at her in confusion.

“And how would you know?” Weiss asks with a pompous tone in her voice.

“Because Neo and I are partners.” Pyrrha revealed, causing the two girls to give a loud gasp of surprise.

Yang’s eyes turn from it’s gentle lilac color to a fierce red. “Why would you partner with her?! You know she’s a murderer!” She shouts, stomping her foot on the ground and causing the floorboards to splinter.

Ruby starts to get nervous as she sees Yang’s anger increase and turns towards Pyrrha, giving a small sigh of relief as she sees that the spartan is unphased by the fiery blonde’s anger. Pyrrha gives a small scoff as she pushes herself off of the door frame. “Because we shared a common goal. To kill Cinder for everything she’s done to us, no matter what. Besides, I’m a murderer too. Do you recall hearing about the destruction of the Blunderbore bandits and how their cave was reduced to rubble?” Pyrrha asks, to which Yang and Weiss nod their heads. “That was me. I killed all of them and I don’t regret my actions. With the both of us working together, we figured that we could have an easier time killing Cinder.”

Yang and Weiss were in stunned silence as they heard Pyrrha boasting about her achievement. “Cinder both took someone that meant a lot to them.” Ruby chimes in, trying to get Yang and Weiss to see why Pyrrha and Neo worked together. “She’s responsible for the deaths of Roman Torchwick and Jaune Arc. So, they wanted to work together to exact revenge and now, they’ve become friends. At least from the observations I’ve seen.” Ruby says softly, acting as a mediator between the two duos.

Weiss gives a sigh as she lowers her weapon, putting it away. “Fine. As long as we’re working towards the same goal… I guess having her with us will be fine. But don’t expect me to follow in your footsteps! I refuse to steal and sink to your level!” Weiss declares, pointing a slim finger at Neo, who simply rolls her eyes at the princess.

“ **Whatever you say Ice Queen.** ” She signs with a giggle, causing Weiss to blush.

“Don’t call me that! Only my friends can call me that! You’re just an acquaintance for now!” Weiss lectures with a humph, crossing her arms and turning away from Neo.

Yang’s left arm shakes softly, as she feels an action coming on before she grabs it with her robotic hand and calms it down. She looks up at Neo and gives her a glare, her eyes going back to their cool lilac color. “Fine. She can stay here. But the moment that she tries to do anything, I won’t hesitate to beat her to a pulp.” Yang grumbles as she crosses her arms.

Ruby gives a happy smile as she brings everyone in close together with surprising strength. “Yay! We’re all going to be friends! I just know it!” No one really seemed particularly happy about this forced hug, but they accepted anyways since it made Ruby happy.

“I just wish I know where the Grimm that took your finger is. I want to beat it to a pulp so bad.” Yang mutters.

Hearing this, Pyrrha gives Ruby a quizzical look, to which Ruby mouthed “ _I’ll tell you later._ ” before letting everyone go. Pyrrha gives a small nod as she stands amongst everyone, easily being the tallest of the group. “So now that we’re all friends…” Ruby says before getting cut off by Yang.

“Not all of us are friends just yet Rubes.” Yang says with a glare aimed towards Neo. Neo gives a small shrug, not really caring that the two become friends or not, as long as they can kill Cinder, she could care less who she works with.

“Acquaintances.” Ruby corrected herself with a small groan at how stubborn Yang is being before continuing on. “There’s someone that I need you all to meet. Try not to overreact or anything. The poor boy doesn’t need any more of that.” Ruby says with a nervous giggle as she taps her index fingers together.

Pyrrha raises her eyebrow at this statement, curious and a bit suspicious about this “boy” they’re going to meet. “Who is this stranger?” She asks sternly, not sure if she could trust him or not already.

“Well… he’s uh… someone you guys already know technically but also someone new…” Ruby trailed off, not really knowing how to properly reveal it to everyone as it’s something you just go out and tell people.

“ **Well, whoever he is, if he’s just a boy then it should be no problem.** ” Neo signs, not really worried about the stranger.

“Well whoever it is, it can’t be any worse than meeting Neo.” Yang grumbles as she crosses her arms, starting to walk down the hall. Ruby quickly runs up ahead of Yang so that she can lead her and everyone else to the common room. Weiss gives a small sigh as she follows along, with Pyrrha and Neo giving each other a shrug before following after the huntresses.

Soon enough the group of women would find themselves in the common area, which had several red chairs and sofas surrounding a wood and glass table. One of the legs of the table appeared to be held together by several strips of duct tape. Sitting in one of the red chairs was a young boy with tan skin and brown hair. Judging by his raggedy clothes, one could assume that he was from the countryside. Also, in the room was Ruby’s uncle, Qrow, who was sitting on the sofa minding to himself. Ren and Nora were present as well, Nora poking Ren’s arm playfully. They were the first to notice the arrival of Ruby and friends, surprised to see both Pyrrha and Neo here. “Pyrrha!” They both shout, Nora sounding more excited than the calm Ren, who was still quite excited despite his cool nature. They get up and give her a tight hug, causing the spartan to give a small, surprised gasp.

Qrow looks up and spots Pyrrha, giving a small chuckle. “Heh, I knew you were still alive. You don’t seem like the type to just give up so easily.” Qrow said in his gruff voice. He would then spot Neo and gives the woman a glare, as he puts his hand on the handle of his weapon. Neo gives a nervous smile as she knows how dangerous Qrow is. “What is she doing here Ruby? You know she helped attack Beacon.” Qrow said, giving the brown and pink haired woman a glare. He can tell that Ruby has a reason to bring Neo here and judging by the fact that Pyrrha, Yang and Weiss are comfortable enough around the presence of Neo, he can assume that she’s not here for hostile intentions, but he can never be too sure.

The farm boy looks at the group and stands up, holding what appears to be a small metal handle in his hand. “O-oh! I haven’t seen you four before. Uhhh… my name is Oscar Pine.” He says, greeting himself to the four new ladies.

“I’m Pyrrha Nikos and this is my partner Neo Politan. It’s a pleasure to meet you kid.” Pyrrha said with a rough smile. Qrow raises his eyebrow at Pyrrha calling Neo her partner, causing him to tighten his hold on Harbinger.

Neo gives a small wave at the young man, finding him quite adorable for what appears to be a farmhand. It reminds her a bit of herself. She wonders why he ran away from home and is now with all these huntsmen and huntresses.

“Okay okay, this is a nice little reunion here and it really is a pleasure to see you again Pyrrha but what do you mean Neo is your partner?” Qrow asks with a stern expression.

Pyrrha was about to explain when Ruby cuts in, wanting to explain things simply and quickly. “It’s because they’re both working together to take down Cinder since she’s the one responsible for the deaths of their lovers.”

Neo nods her head, moving her hands to sign. “ **There’s plenty more details but that’s the basic gist of it.** ” Ren, Qrow and Oscar nod their heads at Neo, understanding what she’s saying. Qrow eases his grip on his weapon, still keeping an intense eye on Neo as he’s still suspicious of her but if even Yang is trusting her somewhat, then he can afford to give the criminal some of his trust too. Nora seemed to be completely confused on what Neo was saying as to her, Neo was just moving her hands wildly. She looks over at Pyrrha for some kind of confirmation.

“Yeah that’s about right.” Pyrrha said crossing her arms as she sits down on the couch. “We can tell you the full story later. But is this… Oscar was it? Is this kid the person we’re supposed to meet?” She asks Ruby who nods her head.

“By all means, he looks like just a simple farmer. I don’t see why he could be special.” Weiss says, tilting her head as she gives a small hum at looking over the young farmhand.

“Yeah the little squirt looks like he’s going to teach us how to milk a cow.” Yang says with a chuckle.

Qrow gives a small chuckle as he’s going to see a few stunned reactions from four new faces who are unfamiliar with Oscar’s special talent. “Heh, this will never get old. Show them your trick pipsqueak.” Qrow says as he sits down on the sofa, motioning for everyone else to sit as well.

The young women take a seat, Pyrrha sitting next to the left of Neo and to the right of Nora on a large sofa. Oscar gives a small sigh as he hypes himself up. “Okay okay… but just so you know, I’m still here. Just imagine it like… I’m tapping out and giving the controls to someone else for a bit.” He says before closing his eyes. A small glow shines over him as presses the large trigger that was on the handle as a familiar black metal cane shoots out from the bottom. Pyrrha immediately recognizes this all too familiar cane and wondering how a simple farm boy like him was able to get such an object. The boy then opens his eyes and gives the group a warm smile. “It’s good to see you again my students.” Said Oscar, but as he spoke, it seems like there were two voices mixing together. One sounded like Oscar and the other seemed to sound like… Professor Ozpin?!

The gears start to turn in Pyrrha’s head as she connects one and one together. “Ozpin?” She asks, forgoing the formalities.

“That is correct Miss. Nikos. It is me, your professor, Ozpin.” He greets himself, sitting down on the chair. Pyrrha stares wide eyed, refusing to believe this, while Weiss had her jaw dropped stunned at the revelation. Yang stared at Oscar and shakes her head, wanting to make sure she’s hearing this correctly. Neo was just confused. She was only briefly informed on who Ozpin is, and all she knew was that he’s the headmaster of Beacon Academy.

“How… how is this possible? I thought you died during the fall of Beacon.” Weiss questions, rubbing her eyes and still seeing Oscar acting like Ozpin.

“Well, you’re not wrong Miss. Schnee. I did die; however, I have a special… let’s call it gift, that allows me to reincarnate into another like minded individual. So, when I died, my soul was reincarnated into Oscar.” Ozpin explains with a patient smile.

“ **So, you’re like the man with two souls?** ” Neo signs, remembering reading a book that had a similar plot to what’s happening right in front of her.

“Precisely Miss. Brunswick.” Ozpin says with a smile.

Neo was caught off guard by his response, particularly the name that he called her. The others look at Neo curiously, surprised to hear her real last name. Neo has many questions, mainly on how Ozpin knew about her and her past family. “ **Wait, slow down there kid. I have several questions for you! First off, what makes you think my last name is Brunswick? My last name is Politan. Not Brunswick.** ” Neo corrected, trying to play it cool.

“There is no need to worry. All questions will be answered in due time. As for your question Miss. Politan.” Ozpin pauses with a smile as he puts both of his hands on top of his cane. “Perhaps I was getting confused and mixing you with someone else. I am quite old after all.” He said scratching the back of his head.

Yang crosses her arms as she remembers something that she was told yesterday. “So, Professor. How is this possible? This shouldn’t be happening.” Yang asks.

“Well to put it simply, it’s because of magic. You see…” Ozpin would trail off as he starts to explain mostly everything. Some information that several members such as Pyrrha, Ruby, Ren and Nora already knew, while most information is brand new to all of them. Ozpin tells everyone about the four maidens and how he was the one that gave them their fierce magical powers, how each maiden can open a vault that contains a sacred relic and about their true enemy Salem, who wants to collect all four relics so that she can wipe out humanity.

The young hunters let the information sink in, a small moment of silence befalling the room. The first to speak was Pyrrha. “I recall you telling me about the maidens, saying how I was supposed to become the Fall Maiden before Cinder took the powers for herself.” Pyrrha pauses for a brief moment. “So, the maidens can open these doors to the relics. So, would that mean that Cinder has Beacon’s relic?” Pyrrha asks as a small glare of concern and anger grows on her face at the thought of the woman who ruined everything being several steps ahead of them.

“Good observation Miss. Nikos, but don’t worry. I made the relic at Beacon much harder to find and I’m confident in saying that Cinder doesn’t have it in her possession.” Ozpin explains with a smile.

“So, what do we do now?” Ren asks, still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that all of these fairy tales he heard when he was a young child from his parents are in fact real.

“Well currently the best course of action is to form a raid party on Raven’s tribe in an attempt to take the Spring Maiden back so that she can be safe from Salem’s forces.” Qrow said, taking out his flask and taking a sip, giving a refreshed sigh.

Yang’s arm shakes for a brief moment at the mention of her mother, before taking a sigh and relaxing herself. “Raven said that you gave her and Qrow a magic power. Why did you do this?” Yang asks, keeping her mother’s advice in mind to always ask questions.

Ozpin gives a small gasp. “Ah, I see that she told you that. Well that’s easy to explain. It can be dangerous to reliably retrieve and send information, especially if there are enemies hunting you down. But do you know what wouldn’t create suspicion? Birds. Just simple birds that can transform at will, allowing them to retrieve information from all across Remnant. Your mother and uncle volunteered to allow me to use my magic to transform them into birds.” He explains with a gentle tone in his voice. Yang crosses her arms, seeming to be satisfied with the answer for the most part.

“So, you used magic to transform them?” Pyrrha asks. She knew magic exists because she was told about the four maidens and almost became one, but she wasn’t aware that Ozpin was the one who gifted the magic to the first maidens. Perhaps he can use his magic to power her up so that she can have an easier time fighting against Cinder.

“Yes, I did. But it took a lot of magic on my part and I’m afraid I don’t have the capabilities to perform such a feat again. I used a lot of my magical power on the four women that would become the first four maidens.” Ozpin explains as he gets up from the chair and starts to pace around the room. “I’m not sure exactly how much I have left, but I can feel that my reserves are near empty.”

“Well so much for us all being able to transform into animals.” Nora pouts, having gotten excited about being able to transform into an animal of her choice.

Neo gives a quiet giggle as she sees the connection between the Branwen twins and their magic powers of being able to transform into birds. She gently nudges Pyrrha to get her attention and signs. “ **Raven and Qrow seem to be appropriately named for their powers. I wonder if this was done on purpose.** ” Neo giggles, causing Pyrrha to let out a small “heh” at the realization.

“I doubt it. He doesn’t seem the type to intentionally do that kind of stuff.” Pyrrha whispers to Neo.

They would then hear a loud gasp coming from Nora as she catches on too. “Qrow? Raven? They’re birds!” Nora exclaims before leaning back in her chair and propping her feet up on the table. “I cracked the case.” She said proudly, priding herself in seeing the easy connection.

“Ahahaha, I will admit, their names did play a small influence in my decision, particularly the types of birds I had them be able to transform into.” Ozpin admits with a chuckle as he sits back down on the chair. Neo gives Pyrrha a cheesy grin, knowing that she was right, which caused Pyrrha to roll her eyes. “But for now, we should wait for a golden opportunity to strike on Raven’s camp, and in order to do such a task, we will need more help from other huntsmen and huntresses. We’re currently looking for more to join us for the raid. So, for now, go have the rest of the day off and catch up with one another.” Ozpin says before his eyes glow brightly and soon Oscar is back in control.

He shakes his head and rubs his forehead. “I’m not sure if I will ever be able to get used to that…” Oscar mutters as he leans back in the chair to get comfortable. Everyone gives a small laugh at the poor farm boy’s unique situation before all getting up to go do their own things.

Pyrrha catches up with Nora and Ren, the two of them, Nora more so than Ren, telling her about how they took down a massive Grimm called the Nuckelavee with the help of Ruby, who was fighting against the massive pain she was in from losing her finger. Pyrrha assumes that this is the Grimm Ruby told everyone that caused her to lose her finger. She would learn that the Nuckelavee did a lot to Ren and Nora in their past and killing it gave them a sense of ease. Pyrrha wishes that she could feel the same sense of ease, but as long as Cinder continues living, she can not afford to ease up on her emotions and feelings. Neo, for the most part, has been keeping close to Pyrrha, but listening in on Ren and Nora’s stories causes her to smile softly at the two obvious lovers. She giggles knowing that the two love each other, even if they themselves don’t see it yet. Soon enough, Neo would join in on the conversation, signing happily with them as she makes small talk, joking around with Nora as the two quickly start to get along. Pyrrha gives a small smile as she’s happy to see Neo making some new friends.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Yang go outside, presumably for a walk. Pyrrha feels a knot forming in her stomach, as she knows what she needs to do. She looks at her three friends and gives them a small smile. “I’m going to go take a walk. I need to think over some things, in private.” Pyrrha says before walking away, not letting the three to respond before she was gone.

Pyrrha would soon catch up with Yang on their midday stroll through the campus of Haven Academy. Yang hears Pyrrha approaching behind her and turns around to give the spartan a small brief wave. “Yo.” She greets happily. “What brings you here?”

“I just wanted to go on a walk as well. I saw you and I thought I would give you some company.” Pyrrha said with a smile, the knot in her stomach getting tighter and tighter.

“Well I would love to have some company! It’s definitely been a long time since you and I had a chance to talk.” Yang beams, patting Pyrrha hard on the back.

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle as she gets pushed slightly from the pat as she plays with one of the strings on Jaune’s hoodie. “Yeah… talking would be nice.” She says quietly, taking a deep breath as she tries to build the confidence to tell Yang the truth on what happened to her little sister. “So… what are your thoughts on what we just learned about?” Pyrrha asks trying to break the silence.

Yang gives a huff as she raises her arms over and behind her head. “I can’t trust him. I still feel like Ozpin is hiding something. But I just don’t know what.” Yang says coldly, still keeping her mother’s words in the back of her mind on not trusting Ozpin. She wants to trust him so desperately but learning about the existence of magic and how Ozpin transformed her mother and uncle into birds causes her to not trust the intentions of Oz. “He may want to protect and save the world, but I have no idea on how he will do such a thing and I feel that I can’t give him my full trust. Not until all of my questions have been answered. What if the way he views saving the world from Salem is by destroying all of us? Are we just pawns for him to play around with on a chess board? Does he even value us? It’s these questions that prevent me from giving my trust to him.” Yang rants, her hands balling into fists as gets overcome with intense emotions. “But I know that I can trust you Pyrrha. Even if you did work with that murderer and have changed a bit, you’re still Pyrrha deep down.” Yang cheers up, her scowl brightening back up to her signature sunny smile.

Pyrrha looks down at the ground as she heard Yang’s words on how much she trusts her. This will definitely make her job of telling Yang the truth far more difficult. With a deep sigh, Pyrrha turns towards Yang and says with a hint of sorrow. “The Pyrrha that you knew back at Beacon will never come back Yang. There may be remnants of her, but she will never fully return.”

“Nonsense! I’m certain that she’s still in there somewhere, I just gotta dig down and pull her out!” Yang chuckles, still fully believing that someone like Pyrrha is still her good friend.

“You don’t understand Yang. I’ve done terrible, irredeemable things. I’ve killed tons of people without remorse, and even now I still don’t regret killing them.” Pyrrha tells the blonde, who’s smile dies down at hearing all the things Pyrrha has done. But surely, she killed them to defend herself! Yang would try to say something to Pyrrha, only for her to interrupt the blonde. “But… there’s something that I did that I truly regret, something that will haunt my mind for the rest of my life…” Pyrrha trails off.

Yang’s face grows in concern as she looks at Pyrrha with care in her eyes. “Pyrrha, try not to dwell too hard on it. You did what you had to do to survive right? So surely that whatever you did was necessary!” She says softly, trying to keep a smile on her face, only for it to start wavering.

Pyrrha takes a deep breath as a single tear runs down her cheek. “No… it wasn’t necessary. I did it for my own twisted pleasure, caught up in my anger and wrath.” Pyrrha pauses as she knows that she can’t go back now. “Ruby… she didn’t lose her finger to a Grimm. I was the one that took Ruby’s finger, in a fit of rage and thirst for vengeance.” Pyrrha admits with a heavy heart.

Yang is silent as she looks at Pyrrha, arms shaking. “You… what?” She asks, but already knows the answer. Her very own anger is rising quickly as she glares at the monster in front of her. She tightens her fist before trying to calm it down with her robotic arm, only to find it still shaking wildly. Her eyes change to bright red as she lets out a loud scream and grabs Pyrrha by the throat, choking the spartan tightly. Pyrrha coughs and gasps in pain, but doesn’t bother fighting back, believing that this is deserved. “WHAT DID MY SISTER DO TO YOU TO MAKE YOU EVEN FUCKING WANT TO DO THAT TO HER!!!” Yang shouts loudly, as her robotic hand balls up into a fist, a small barrel popping up from her wrist.

Pyrrha gags loudly as she tries to talk through the pain. “N-nothing…” she coughs out, seeing her vision starting to go dark.

Yang’s hand trembles as she holds Pyrrha up by her throat. She hurt her sister, she made her suffer! So, it’s only right that she deserves to suffer too right? Then why can’t she bring herself to enact retribution onto the spartan? Yang’s grip tightens even more on Pyrrha’s throat, her nails digging into the Spartan’s skin causing small drops of blood to leak out. A thought crosses Yang’s mind as she thinks to herself ‘ _An eye for an eye_ ’ she repeats the thought in her head over and over to try to get herself to do this.

She stares at Pyrrha with a glare, watching the blood run down her neck. “D-do it…” Pyrrha says softly, on the verge of consciousness.

Yang clenches her teeth as her red eyes burn through Pyrrha’s emerald eyes. She wants it to happen. She’s begging for it! But why can’t she do it! With a loud scream Yang throws her fist towards Pyrrha’s face and soon, a loud blast from her shotgun wrist is heard. Yang’s fist was right next to Pyrrha’s cheek, having missed the blow and the blast from her gun firing into a wall, causing it to crumble. “Your guilt is enough suffering for a monster like you…” Yang says quietly before dropping Pyrrha onto the floor, her red-hot eyes going back to their soft lilac color. The spartan gasps for air as she looks up at Yang with guilt. “I don’t want to see your fucking face ever again. We’re only allies for our fight against Salem. Nothing more.” Yang says as she starts to stomp off, using her robotic arm to soothe her shaking hand.

Pyrrha watches Yang walk away, before looking down at the ground as she still attempts to catch her breath. With a small grunt, she gets back up on her feet and rubs her hands against her neck, wiping her blood away as her aura closes the wounds. Looking down at her hands, she stares at her blood before clenching her fists. Pyrrha gives a quiet sigh as she walks in the opposite direction, not regretting her actions to tell Yang. She could’ve just gone on with her life and Yang would have never known about the truth of Ruby’s injury, she would have gone along blindly believing that a Grimm took Ruby’s finger. But that didn’t sit right with Pyrrha. Yang deserved to know the truth and Pyrrha doesn’t regret telling her in the slightest.

As day turns into night, Pyrrha would find herself sitting next to Neo in the dorm rooms that the two of them were given for their stay. Pyrrha told Neo what just happened, causing the woman to shake her head. “ **This could’ve all been avoided Pyrrha. Yang isn’t the brightest and trusts anything that her sister says. She would’ve never known.** ” Neo signs, giving a sigh as she leans back onto the bed.

“I know that Neo, but… lying to her like that didn’t feel right. She deserved to know the truth about what happened to her sister. Lying has always been something that I’ve despised… and in a roundabout way… lying was what caused Jaune to die.” Pyrrha murmurs, looking up at the ceiling. “When I first learned about that I were to become the fall maiden, Jaune would notice that something seemed to be plaguing my mind and he asked me what was wrong. I lied to him and told him nothing was wrong. I wonder, what would happen if I did tell him the truth, tell him what was ailing me, perhaps he would still be alive? Or perhaps we would’ve died together fighting Cinder.” Pyrrha rambles to Neo, knowing that she’s just a good person to talk to.

Neo gives a small hum as she listens to everything. “ **Who’s to say for certain. You can’t change the past no matter how hard you try.** ”

“I know that, but the same can’t be said about fate. Fate can change, and I know that my fate is to die a hero, but I refuse for that to happen. I… no we will carve our paths are destroy our fates. Both you, Nora, Ren, Ruby, Yang, and everyone else. All of us together will change fate.” Pyrrha said as she clenches her fist with determination as a flame ignites within her soul. She may be knocked down, but she will get back up. Together they will all kill Cinder.

Neo was about to respond when a knock on the door would be heard. Opening the door would be Ruby who looks at the two of them with a gentle smile. “Hey, Uncle Qrow wants to discuss something with us.” Ruby says, motioning for the two to follow her.

Pyrrha and Neo get up from the bed, still feeling determined at changing their fate as they know that nothing can knock them down now. When they would arrive at the common area, they would see everyone else sitting on the couches, waiting patiently for the two of them. Pyrrha gives a quick look at Yang, who gives her an intense glare before looking away with a sigh. As she sits down next to Neo and Ren, she looks up at Qrow and tilts her head curiously. “So, what is it that you want to discuss with us?” She asks.

Qrow gives the group a serious look as he knows that now isn’t the time for jokes. “I just got word from Professor Lionheart that he was able to make a breakthrough with the council to get clearance to perform a raid on Raven’s camp. He wants us to meet him in the academy main hall so we can discuss the plans.” Qrow explained with a sigh.

“Hmm… this doesn’t bode well. This feels all too conveniently timed.” Ozpin says with a hum.

“I agree. We should be prepared for anything that may happen just in case.” Qrow advises to everyone. The group gives a firm nod, anxiety filling their stomachs as they feel that something drastic is about to happen. Little did they all know, they would soon be fighting for their lives in the very next hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! Sorry that this chapter is a tad bit late but I've been busy with some other stuff lately. Just so y'all know, chapters are on a "when they're done" basis. Needless to say, the next chapter is going to be an exciting one! I have lots of plans for it! 
> 
> Also, I recently got a commission of Pyrrha's design in this story! https://twitter.com/MRK_50/status/1325610499241734144?s=20 Thanks to MRK50 for the lovely piece of work! Until next time!


	8. Pure Fury

Pyrrha had no idea what to expect when she heard about Professor Lionheart wanting to meet with Qrow, Ruby and the others to discuss the raid on Raven’s camp, who is apparently Yang’s mother. However always taking the worst possible outcome into consideration, she brings her weapons, as did everyone else in the event should a fight break out. It would be night by the time the group arrives at the main hall of Haven academy, spotting a large statue of a woman adorned with various chains holding up a platform of some kind. They see two staircases that curve upwards towards a balcony that overlooked the main hall, and there leaning on the railings was a man with long brown hair and a bear, almost resembling that of a lion’s mane. On his wrist seemed to be some kind of circular weapon adorned with various crystals. He spots the group and gives a nervous chuckle. “Ah it’s good to-to see all of you. Though there… are quite a few more of you than last time.” He chuckles nervously as he plays with his tie. “And why do you have your weapons?” He asks, quite suspiciously.

Qrow rolls his eyes and says “Because we’re huntsmen. We take our weapons everywhere.” Immediately Qrow knows that something bad is about to happen, and its not because of his terrible luck either.

“Ah right… sorry I’m on edge today. I’m just very nervous about this raid.” he stumbles as he takes a deep sigh to try to relax himself. Looking over the crowd, he spots a familiar figure that he thought he would never see. “Pyrrha Nikos? Is that really you? I-I thought you were dead!” He utters in awe and slight fear, knowing the kind of warrior that Pyrrha is, being able to go hand to hand with even professional huntsmen.

“Well unfortunately, I’m still alive.” Pyrrha grumbles as she crosses her arms. Pyrrha would then spot something out of the corner of her eye, seeing a raven resting on top of a railing on one of the higher floors. She nudges Qrow and motions for him to look up.

Qrow spots the raven and is immediately able to tell who it is. He grabs the hilt of his weapon, ready to strike as Lionheart rambles, saying something about going to the back to get the huntsmen he prepared and asking them to wait patiently here. Pulling his weapon out quickly, he fires a shot from the twin barrels towards the railing the raven stood on, the bird quickly flying away and towards Lionheart. Everyone was stunned by the sudden bang as they see the raven flying behind Lionheart before transforming into a tall black-haired woman with red eyes, who almost seemed to resemble Yang quite a bit. “Your aim is getting worse brother.” she scoffs as she glares at Qrow, causing everyone to draw out their weapons. Yang gives a small growl as her hand starts to shake before she calms it down once again, trying not to lose her temper.

“What are you doing here Raven?” Qrows asks before shaking his head. “No why you’re here doesn’t matter. Just give us the Spring Maiden and we will be on our way.” he asks, not wanting to fight family, even if their relationship isn’t the best in the world.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Lionheart and I have some friends that need the Spring Maiden more than you do.” she says with a smile as Lionheart looks down in shame.

“I’m sorry… I had no other choice.” he apologizes, looking away from the group.

Ruby takes a step up. “Please Aunt Raven, we don’t need to fight. I don’t want to fight against family.”

“You and I are not family Ruby. We never were. The only reason why you survived the attack from the Ursa was because you were with Yang and I wanted to save her. I could have cared less on what happened to you.” Raven utters coldly with no remorse.

Yang’s shoulders tremble as her brows furrow. “How could you say that?! Even if she’s not related to you by blood, that doesn’t stop you from being family! Qrow isn’t related to her by blood at all yet he’s still family!” Yang yells out towards her mother.

“Raising your voice with your mother like that? Don’t you know any better?” Raven scoffs, toying with Yang.

“No, I don’t because my mother was never around! It’s clear to me that you’re not her! Not anymore.” Yang replied with intensity, causing the room to fall silent.

Raven gives Yang a glare before giving a small scoff. “Your opinions of me don’t matter. Besides, all this talking is boring. Let’s get to the reason why we’re here.” Raven says as with a blink of her eyes, a portal opens right in front of the statue.

Everyone gets into their fighting stance, not sure on what to expect to come out from the portal. Ruby takes a step up as she looks up towards Raven once more. “Raven please! Please listen-“ was all Ruby could say before a large fireball blasted out of the portal and into Ruby’s chest, knocking her back and causing her to fall to the ground.

Pyrrha and Neo’s eyes shrink as they know only one person that can do such a thing. Their suspicions were soon confirmed as out from the portal came the woman that ruined their lives. Cinder Fall, who was wearing a long red dress that had one sleeve covering where her arm is presumably missing and a large patch of black glass covering half of her face. “Hello there Little Red~” Cinder coos with a sinister laugh as from behind her walks out her followers Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrani. Another person walks out from the portal too, a tan woman with blue eyes and brown hair that was in a pixie cut, looking very similar to a bandit.

Pyrrha’s fist trembles as she clenches tightly onto Milo before she let’s out a loud cry of rage. “CIIIINDEEEERRRR!!!!” She yells as she charges towards the woman without thinking, desperate to kill her. Cinder turns towards Pyrrha and gives her a smirk, a glass sword forming in her hand before parrying away a horizontal blow from Pyrrha, causing the Spartan to get pushed back.

“How disappointing, I’m not even allowed to taunt my enemies before the fight.” Cinder sighs as she looks to the three people behind her. “Go ahead and kill them.” She commands, the three villains giving a nod before charging towards the team.

However, their charges would be stopped as from behind all of them, they would hear the sounds of the large wooden doors of the school slamming shut as an extremely tall and muscular man walks in. “The White Fang has armed the bombs and are ready to detonate when given the signal.” He says softly walking towards the group. “Let’s not waste any more time and get the relic.”

Nora readies her hammer as she stares down the man. “We’re not letting you get anything!” She growls, holding her hammer tightly.

He gives a sigh as he looks at the small redhead. “Child. No one needs to die. Stand down and you can run away.” He warns, cracking his knuckles.

“Hazel, it’s clear that these children so desperately crave death, so respect their wishes and give it to them.” Cinder coos with an evil smirk before having to quickly block a blow from Pyrrha who rushed back in to attack Cinder. “You’re a relentless girl… I’ll give you that.” She grunts before pushing Pyrrha off. She would then feel a dull pain in the back of her head as she stumbles towards Pyrrha, before the spartan bashed Cinder with her shield, causing Cinder to bounce away and slide on her feet. Getting up she sees both Neo and Pyrrha standing strong alongside each other. “So, you are alive after all Neo Politan. I thought I had the Grimm kill you just like I did with Torchwick.” She taunts, causing Neo to grip onto her parasol tightly, causing the hard plastic to creek from the pressure. “Never send a Grimm to do a Maiden’s job.” Cinder reminds herself as she readies her sword.

Pyrrha gives a loud roar as she stomps her foot on the ground, face full of rage as she gives Cinder a glare that can even scare a Grimm. “I’ll kill you Cinder! You took everything from me! I will strangle you with your own entrails and paint my lips with your blood! You will suffer the wrath of a thousand suns for taking away my precious Jaune!” She shouts loudly with rage as her aura flashes with intensity.

Cinder raises her eyebrow towards Pyrrha with a quizzical look. “Who the hell is Jaune?” She asks.

Hearing this, Pyrrha froze, stumbling back a bit as her face shifts to that of shock. The woman that killed her love and ruined her life… doesn’t even know the name of the man she killed! Did she enjoy killing him so much that she didn’t bother to recall his name? Or is it perhaps that she’s killed so many people in her life that Jaune is simply another person to her body count? Whatever the case may be, it pissed Pyrrha off as her shock expression changes back to her face of rage and hatred, now even more intense than it was before. “YOU FUCKING BITCH!!!” She screams as she runs towards Cinder. As Pyrrha shouts, the main hall would break out in a massive fight between the Huntsmen and the servants of Salem. As she ran towards Cinder, Pyrrha would feel a familiar tingling sensation course over her body as she recognizes what’s happening. She side jumps to the left as she sees an illusion resembling herself run towards Cinder, before running behind the villain to get ready to attack.

Cinder raises her sword to attack the duplicate and brings it down, causing it to shatter into glass before immediately turning around and blocking a powerful slash from Pyrrha’s sword, causing her own sword to crack slightly. “Don’t think that I don’t know you and Neo’s tricks. I fought alongside her too after all.” Cinder scoffs as with a small grunt she pushes Pyrrha back and creates daggers of glass behind her to fire towards a rushing Neo, who’s able to dodge the attacks with ease.

Pyrrha doesn’t give up on her relentless attack however as she runs back in to attack wildly at Cinder, with Neo running in as well. Cinder jumps back so that she can face the two vengeful women as she blocks and parries Pyrrha’s slashes and Neo’s bashes with expert precision. With a roar, Pyrrha brings down Milo on to Cinder’s glass blade, while Neo goes in to hook Cinder’s leg with her parasol, tripping the maiden as her guard breaks with the glass sword. Working together, Pyrrha and Neo both bash Cinder in her chest, Pyrrha using her shield and Neo using her elbow, causing the woman that thud into the ground as the floor around her cracks from the impact. Both women raise their weapons high, ready to stab Cinder before she lets out a burst of magical fire and lightning, causing Neo and Pyrrha to fly back from the attack.

They catch their footing as they slide, their heels digging into the floor. They see Cinder fly up into the air, her one eye having a bright amber flame surrounding it indicating that she is using her maiden powers. Pyrrha gives a small grunt as she smiles. “What’s wrong? Afraid you can’t beat us without your magic?” She taunts, flourishing her blade as she quickly shifts it into a rifle to start taking shots at Cinder, who dodges each of them with ease. Neo too starts taking large and powerful shots at Cinder, trying to work together with Pyrrha to lead her aim on where Cinder is dodging.

Cinder gives a small growl as she gets grazed by one of Pyrrha’s shots from her rifle before flying towards the two women, balls of lightning on her side before she fires the two balls towards them. Pyrrha and Neo quickly dodge out of the way, only for the balls of lightning to explode as they get caught in the radius of the blast, freezing in place as they feel the electricity course through their body. They groan in pain before Cinder performs a roundhouse kick on the both of them, causing them to knock into each other. “I don’t need my magic to kill you two. I’m just being efficient and not wasting any more energy then I need to with ants like you.” Cinder laughs as she creates another sword of glass from her flames before swinging it in the air as she fires rows and rows of glass daggers at them. Pyrrha and Neo stood there with a smile, taking the glass daggers before breaking into glass as they disappear from the battlefield. Cinder gives a small frown. “Running away from me? I thought you two wanted to kill me?” She taunts as she lands on the ground, the flames from her eyes disappearing as she deactivates her maiden powers.

From the veil of invisibility, Pyrrha shakes her fist, wanting to go after Cinder right now but Neo, calms her hand, silently telling her that they need to wait for an opportunity to strike. Pyrrha gives a silent sigh as she tries to fight against her blind rage so that she can strike at Cinder at the best moment possible. They sneak around towards the statue where Cinder has her back turned. With a small tap from Neo, the two of them charge in breaking through invisible glass as they appear forth from Neo’s illusion. Cinder turned around and was able to block Neo’s attack but wasn’t expecting Pyrrha to slide below her feet. As Pyrrha slid beneath her, she cuts Cinder’s calves with her sharpened shield before jumping up quicky to kick Cinder’s back towards Neo, who was able to toss Hush around and hook Cinder by her throat with the handle before kneeing the woman in the face. Cinder lets out a roar of rage as her eye ignite once again before getting slashed across her back from Pyrrha. “INSOLENT CURRS!!!” She shouts with rage before creating a small storm around her to blow Pyrrha and Neo away.

The two women give a grunt as they fight against the harsh winds, slightly being pushed back before taking heavy steps. Cinder gives a roar as she raises the arm that was covered in cloth and points it at the two women, and then it… extends? Bursting from the cloth was a long black hand made of some kind of familiar material that looked quite familiar to that of a Grimm, with long sharp white claws at the ends of the fingers. The Grimm arm was launched towards Pyrrha and Neo who weren’t expecting the monstrosity as the claws pierce into their chest. The two women groan in pain as they feel the claws pierce through their aura and into their flesh. With quick thinking Pyrrha takes Milo and slashes the hand off from Cinder, causing her to scream in pain as she reels her arm back. The hand that was embedded into the two of them soon disappears as their aura gets to quickly healing the wounds.

Pyrrha watches Cinder hold her wrist as she screams bloody murder before the hand would grow back as she glares at the spartan. Pyrrha gives a small chuckle as she smiles at Cinder. “Heh what do you know. I’m more human than you are and that’s saying something.” She taunts as her and Neo get ready to fight the Fall Maiden once again.

This causes Cinder to give a loud roar as she glares Pyrrha down. “I’ll kill you for that! I am the most powerful human being ever! You will fear me!” She screams as she forms a giant sword made of black glass and holds it with both hands.

Pyrrha shifts Milo into it’s spear configuration as she stares Cinder down. “Go ahead. My life is meaningless compared to everyone else here. All that matters is that I kill you. That’s all I care about. Ruby, Neo and the others are the important ones, not me.” She retorts, not caring about what happens to her.

Neo stares at Pyrrha softly, hearing the fact that Pyrrha admits her life is meaningless while Neo’s is more important. This is something that not even Roman had admitted to her and it strikes a chord in Neo’s heart, causing the silent girl to start viewing Pyrrha as more than just a friend. She takes a deep breath as she spins her parasol around and glares at Cinder. She will fight alongside Pyrrha no matter what now. If someone is able to put her before themselves, than they’re a person that’s worth fighting and dying for.

Ruby, who has gotten up from the ground and is fighting against Emerald, and Yang who is having her rematch against Mercury, hear Pyrrha say this, causing them to waver for a brief moment before having to refocus on the fight at hand. As Yang fights against Mercury, she starts to reevaluate Pyrrha, figuring that maybe the woman she once knew at Beacon truly isn’t dead.

In another part of the main hall as Pyrrha, Neo and Cinder fight each other, Nora and Ren were busy fighting against Hazel, the large man not flinching one bit from the attacks that Nora and Ren inflicted upon him. “Come on! Go down will you!” She shouts in frustration as she jumps off of Ren’s back to slam her hammer against the giant’s head, only for him to catch it and throw her to the side.

“I don’t want to hurt you children. But if you keep on getting in my way, you’ll leave me with no choice.” Hazel warns as he slowly walks towards Ren.

Ren flourishes his guns pointing them at the giant as he slowly steps back. “Then you have no choice but to hurt us.” Ren utters causing Hazel to sigh.

“Very well then.” He says as he cracks his knuckles and neck, stretching himself out. He takes heavy step forward, as the green clad warrior feels a tremor running up through his core. With a small grunt he rushes in towards Hazel, who raises a fist and throws a punch towards the young man, Ren dodging it in time before trying to slash his arm with his dual gun blades. Hazel didn’t even flinch from the attack as he uses his other arm to grab Ren by his hair and throws him into the wooden pillars that support the upper floors, causing it to splinter slightly. “I take no pleasure in this I’ll have you know. I’ll try to make this quick, so you won’t suffer much.” He says calmly, his face showing no signs of anger or even emotion about the fight.

Nora gives a small grunt as she watches Ren get thrown into a pillar. Slamming her hammer down on the ground she gives a roar. “Don’t you dare touch him!” She shouts as she runs back in, throwing her hammer down so that she’s standing on the underside of the mallet. She pulls a trigger causing a grenade to fly out from the hammer, which explodes on the ground and sending Nora flying towards Hazel. She leans forward, causing her to spin in the air before hitting Hazel in the chest. The giant man slides back slightly as the air gets knocked out of him. Thinking quickly, he punches Nora in the stomach who is sent back into the floor, skidding across before jumping onto her feet. Nora coughs up some blood onto the floor before rubbing it away on the sleeve of her jacket. She gives a nod to Ren, who was back up on his feet as well, to signal for the both of them to run back in.

However, before the two of them started to run, Professor Lionheart would yell from the balcony towards his compatriots with a scared expression on his face. “Ozpin is here! He’s already reincarnated!” He shouts out at them.

Cinder looks back towards Lionheart, holding off a charging Pyrrha and Neo with a giant sword made of glass before pushing them away with a wave of flames. “He’s here?! Already?!” She shouts before having to turn her focus back towards the two vengeful women.

Hazel’s eyes widen as he hears the news, letting out a loud roar that stunned Nora and Ren. “OOOZZZPIIINNN!!!” He screams with fury as he rips the sleeves of his shirt off and takes out two giant crystals of electric dust and stabs them into his arms without so much of a thought, the intense pain not even affecting him as his veins glow bright yellow, the energy from the dust coursing through his body. He lets out another loud roar, giving an earth trembling stomp as he looks around for Ozpin.

Nora’s jaw drops as she sees the sight in front of her while Ren looks on in terror. “You have to be joking right?! He just can’t do that can he?!” She asks in disbelief before tightening the grip on her hammer. The two huntsmen run in towards Hazel, aiming for the large dust crystals to try to knock them out of his arms. Hazel lets out a roar as he delivers a powerful back hand on the both of them, causing them to fly into another pillar and each other.

Hazel stomps closer towards the two fallen students before feeling a dull sensation on the back of his head. Turning around he finds Oscar, wielding Ozpin’s cane as he looks at the giant man with determination. “You’re asking for a beating child. My rage isn’t with you. It’s with Ozpin.” He warns him before turning back towards Nora and Ren.

Oscar tightens the grip on his cane as he stares Hazel down. “I’m right here but I don’t need Ozpin’s help to take you down.” He tells him to which Hazel quickly turns around and glares the young farm boy down.

His shoulders heave up and down as a vicious snarl grows on his face. “You’re the reason that my little sister is dead! You and your school!” He roars throwing a punch towards the young boy, who was able to jump on top of his arm and kick Hazel in the face before bashing him rapidly with his staff.

Oscar lands on the other side of the giant and hits the giant on the back of his knees, causing him to stumble a bit before catching his footing. He throws rapid punches towards Oscar, the boy dodging every punch as he jabs Hazel with the end of his cane between each blow, clearly showing his expertise in combat thanks to Ozpin’s knowledge of fighting.

Hazel screams with frustration as he sees that he can’t land a single hit on the child, his small body being able to dodge between each of his blows. Nora gets up onto her feet, using her hammer as a crutch slightly before holding it firmly with both hands. “What did you do to his sister?” She asks with a pant.

Oscar slides between Hazel’s legs before spinning his cane around and jabs the giant man in his back rapidly before swinging his cane like a bat and sending him flying into the floor. Oscar looks over at Nora and Ren softly. “Ozpin says that it’s because his sister died on a training mission. There were one too many Grimm and she sacrificed herself so that her team could get out alive.” he explains before dodging a large vertical wave of electricity that Hazel fired by clapping his hands.

Nora and Ren rush in to help Oscar as they stare Hazel down. “It’s his fault that she’s dead! I told her to not become a huntress, but she assured me that she would be protected by Ozpin!” He roars.

Ren stares Hazel down as he calmly but firmly tells him. “She knew the risks that were involved in becoming a huntress. She knew that she could die at a moment’s notice, but she became one anyways because she wanted to save people and protect the world.”

“Your sister sacrificed herself so that her team could live! She knew the risks and put her teammates’ lives before herself! If she didn’t know any of this, she would’ve never wanted to become a huntress!” Nora lectures, causing Hazel to growl with anger.

As Hazel’s roar echoes throughout the hall, Pyrrha and Neo fight against two large pillars of flames that were being launched towards them, Pyrrha blocking it with her shield and Neo blocking it with her parasol. Pyrrha gives a small growl as her shield gets enveloped in a black aura, letting go of the shield and pushing it back with her semblance. She grits her teeth at the sheer strength of Cinder’s flames before letting out a loud roar as her shield flies through the pillar and bashes Cinder in the skull, stunning her for a brief moment and allowing Pyrrha to run in and stab at Cinder’s chest. The bash causes Cinder to lose focus on the other pillar of flame that was slowing Neo down, who quickly twirls her parasol and breaks apart into glass, running to the top of the balcony before jumping onto Cinder’s shoulders, locking her legs around Cinder’s throat and bringing the two of them down to the ground.

Cinder gives a loud cough as she gets pinned down by the tiny woman and sees Pyrrha walking slowly towards her. She spins her spear around in the air and points it in between Cinder’s eyes. “I’ll make you remember who Jaune is.” Pyrrha utters coldly as her cold emerald eyes pierce through Cinder’s raging amber eye. The Fall Maiden gives a loud roar as a cold burst of air surrounds the three of them, as ice forms around Neo’s legs, freezing it. She quickly unwraps her legs and kicks Cinder off, hissing in pain from the sheer cold as the ice shatters away. Pyrrha tries to grab Cinder but is met with a bolt of lightning striking her chest, piercing into her as her aura flashes quickly. Pyrrha falls to her knees as she stares up at Cinder, who is floating in the air with her eye ignited by the fires of the fall maiden.

Cinder gives a smirk as she grabs Neo by the face with her Grimm hand, who was busy tending to her legs to not notice Cinder before feeling the claws pierce into her skull as she gives a scratchy scream of pain. “I remember who Jaune is now. He’s the whimp that was helplessly in love with you wasn’t he?” Cinder asks as she flies towards Pyrrha, Neo trying to break free from the intense grip before Cinder squeezes down onto the poor woman even tighter. “You know how easily I killed him right? Him fighting me bored me half to death. I was certain that if the fight would have gone on any longer, I would’ve died from boredom. It was so much fun to see how determined he was to defeat me. But it was even more fun to crush and destroy that dream of success right in front of him as I took his last breath of life.” Cinder laughs, causing Pyrrha to shake in rage, breathing heavily as she tries to stand up, but the bolt of lighting that was pierced through her chest refused to allow her to stand. “He even surrendered to me, begging for me to spare him and make him my servant in return for leaving you alive. But I have no need of weak servants such as him. He wouldn’t even be good enough to be my footrest.” Cinder lied, knowing full well that Jaune never begged for his life, but wanting to rub salt in Pyrrha’s wound to get her lost in rage like how Jaune did to her.

“LIAR!!!” She shouts as she fights through the pain, grabbing the bolt of lighting with her hand before yanking it out from her chest, blood running down her golden armor as her weakened aura works to close the wound. She throws her shield towards Cinder, who responds by throwing Neo right in front of her as a flesh shield. Pyrrha almost didn’t notice this through her rage before the last possible second as she uses her semblance to stop the shield from cutting through Neo’s tiny body.

Cinder clicks her tongue in a disapproving tone. “Now now little girl, you don’t want your friend here to meet the same fate as that blonde idiot now do you? Or is your rage and hatred strong enough to see past that?” Cinder taunts as she opens her arms, exposing her chest. A bright glow starts to engulf her Grimm hand as a giant pillar of fire blasts forth and burning the poor pink and brown haired woman, who screams and tosses her body around in pain. When the flames died down, a pink aura that surrounded Neo shatters as the woman is now vulnerable for any lethal attack. She throws Neo down onto the ground, the poor girl landing with a thud as she tries to get up, only being able to sit on her knees as she helplessly looks at Pyrrha, blood running down the sides of her head as it drips onto the yellow floor below her. A giant large sword made of black glass is created right in front of Neo, hovering in front of her, threatening to cut her down. “Go ahead and kill me.” Cinder says as she gets down on to the floor, holding her arms out for Pyrrha to stab her through her chest. “But if you kill me, your friend here dies as well. A soul for a soul.” She laughs with a wicked grin.

Pyrrha trembles in her spot as she thinks over what she should do. She so desperately wants to kill Cinder, the bitch is even allowing herself to be killed by her own hand. But is Neo dying worth it? She then looks up at Cinder then towards Neo, who mouths to Pyrrha, “Do it” who then closes her eyes and awaits her fate. Neo knows that this needs to be done, even if it means that she will die in the process. As long as Cinder dies too then she can rest easy for she knows that her revenge has been enacted.

Cinder gently lowers one of her fingers, causing the large blade to cut into Neo’s chest as she screams in pain. “The clock is ticking. Delay any longer and your friend will die regardless of your decision.” She warns, the blade cutting slowly and painfully through Neo’s chest.

Pyrrha kneels down and roars in frustration as she can’t figure out what to do. She thinks back to the time she spent with Neo, the jokes that they shared, the bonding between one another, their mutual hatred towards Cinder and confiding their insecurities with each other. Neo was the first person that wanted to stay by Pyrrha’s side after she walked down the dark path of vengeance. Being responsible for Neo’s death will weigh heavier on her soul than the pleasure of killing Cinder. She slams her fist down onto the ground as she picks up Milo and stares Cinder down. She runs towards Cinder, letting out a fierce scream as she raises her sword up high. Cinder smiles and gets ready to bring down her large weapon the rest of the way only to see Pyrrha slice Milo through the thick glass with surprising strength, shattering it. The end of the blade is able to graze across Neo’s chest, still cutting into her but not as deep as it would have been. Neo screams in pain as she looks up at Pyrrha, seeing her standing in front of her. She gives a small smile as she sees black envelop her vision before she falls onto the floor, losing consciousness. Pyrrha gives Cinder an intense glare. “I refuse to let another friend of mine die to my own mistakes!” She shouts before running throwing Milo at Cinder, the blade grazing her midsection before calling it back with her semblance and slicing off Cinder’s Grimm arm.

Cinder screams as intense pain floods her senses, holding her dismembered arm as she stares Pyrrha down. “You bitch!” She roars as her arm starts to grow back again. With each inch, Cinder screams in pain until finally her arm is back. She flies towards Pyrrha, a circle of glass knives forming around her before sending each one into Pyrrha’s chest. The spartan is able to fend off each dagger with her sword and shield, shattering them into pieces onto the floor before having to block a sword strike from Cinder herself. Cinder gives another loud roar as black storm clouds form behind her and lighting blasts forth, causing Pyrrha to break her guard to avoid the bolts of lightning, allowing Cinder to kick Pyrrha in the stomach and smacks the flat of her sword across the spartan’s face. As Pyrrha was sent flying, Cinder fires large bolts of lightning towards the woman hitting her as she gets knocked down onto the ground. Her green aura that was enveloping her soon breaks away, yet despite the intense pain that she’s in and how tired she’s feeling, she stands back up and readies her weapons, refusing to leave Neo’s side. Cinder calms herself down as she slowly approaches Pyrrha and Neo. “You’re still standing despite your aura being broken. Perhaps if you were to have fought me in Jaune’s stead, you could have actually killed me and the two of you would be living happily together.” Cinder taunts as she gets closer and closer to Pyrrha. She raises her arm and fires a giant fireball towards Pyrrha, the ball exploding on her chest as she falls to the ground, Milo and Akouo clattering onto the floor alongside her. The flesh on her arms burn from the intense heat from the blast.

Pyrrha groans in pain as she feels her nerves screaming in pain, looking up at Cinder. “F-fuck… you!” She utters, spitting blood onto the ground. “I may not be able to kill you… but they will!” She says, mentioning Ruby and the rest of her friends.

Cinder looks back at the fight that was going on, and sees Weiss on her knees, having been defeated by Vernal, the bandit from earlier, with Weiss’s aura gone as a wicked idea pops into Cinder’s mind. “Will they now? They will have a harder time doing it with one less member of their silly little group.” Cinder laughs as a large spear made of glass is formed in her hand before she throws it straight towards Weiss, the spear pierces itself through her abdomen as she looks down in horror. She lets out pained gasps as her hand holds the spear, seeing her blood run down onto the ground before the glass spear disappears.

Ruby watches on in horror as she sees another friend falling at the hands of Cinder. “WEISS!!!” She shouts as she groans in slight pain, her eyes flashing for a brief moment before feeling a dull pain to the back of her head thanks to Mercury, causing Ruby to fall to the ground.

“Not this time you silver eyed freak.” Mercury laughs as he kicks her in the stomach, causing Ruby to scream in pain. She looks towards Weiss, who has fallen onto the ground, the glass spear having disappeared. She reaches her hand out towards her friend before it falls onto the ground as she feels herself helpless to do anything.

Cinder gives a wicked laugh as she looks over at Pyrrha. “Now you know how it feels to be at the bottom, to be helpless and powerless to do anything, being forced to live on the floor as everyone else around you succeeds. Raven, Vernal, let’s get to the vault.” Cinder commands as she glares at Lionheart. Everyone is too stunned in horror at the brutality they witnessed in front of them to do anything to stop the man from putting some kind of amulet onto the statue, causing it to lower into the ground making for an elevator. The three women get onto the top of the statue as Cinder waves goodbye to the group. “I expect the rest of you to finish them off.” Cinder says coldly as she disappears into the ground.

Pyrrha watches as Cinder gets away from her for the second time. She tries to crawl towards the elevator but is stopped short when she bumps into Neo, who is breathing heavily in pain as her white clothes are stained red with her own blood. She looks over at Weiss, and sees Ren and Nora running towards her to drag her to a safe area away from the action as Yang was forced to fight against Mercury and Emerald instead of helping her friend.

Before Oscar could think about what was going on, he was grabbed by Hazel and thrown into a pillar, causing the young boy to groan in pain. Hazel quickly shifts his attention back towards Nora and Ren, raising his arms to grab the two of them. Ren, picking up Weiss, jumps out of the way while Nora welcomes the grab with a smile. Hazel grabs Nora by her skull as electricity starts to course through his arms and into the red head. Nora groans in slight pain as she feels the electricity running through her body, powering her up more and more as her eyes glow bright pink, sparks of pink lightning flashing throughout her body.

She grabs Hazel’s wrist with a surprisingly strong grip that caught him off guard before slamming him down onto the hard ground. “Thanks for the power boost sucker!” She giggles with glee, electricity coursing through her large hammer as she swings it around. Hazel gets up from the floor, only to see Nora flying in towards him, hammer held high before she swings it onto his chest. Time freezes for a moment as the pure force of the impact causes a large thunderous boom to echo throughout the area. Hazel is then sent flying back towards the door at high speeds, shattering both it and the accompanying wall into wooden rubble revealing what appears to be the white fang, led by Adam Taurus as well as what appears to be Blake Belladonna, Sun Wukong and many more faunuses!

Adam stares at the broken wall and at the intense fight that was happening inside before looking up at Hazel who dusts himself off. “What the hell is going on in there?!” He shouts towards Hazel.

“I could be asking you the same question. Why hasn’t the explosion gone off yet?” He asks, taking out two large fire dust crystals and stabbing them into his arms as he gets even more powerful. Adam was silent for a moment and tries to respond before Hazel silences him. “Fix it.” He says before stomping back towards the fight that was going on inside.

Taking the time while Hazel was gone and Mercury and Emerald were busy fighting Yang, while Qrow is helping Ruby up to her feet as he checks to make sure that she’s not seriously injured. “Kid are you okay?” He asks with a worried look in his eyes.

“I-I’m fine Uncle Qrow… but check to make sure Oscar is okay. I’ll help Yang.” Ruby says before shaking her head and rushing towards Yang, full of vitality once again. Qrow gives a nod and goes over to help the young boy.

Pyrrha holds Neo in her lap as she thinks over what to do. She then remembers something the two of them got together. Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out a chunk of the large fire dust crystal that she and Neo took from their first night together all that time ago. She takes out another one and whistles to Ren, trying to catch his attention. She throws the crystal towards him who catches it. “Cauterize her wound! You need to stop the bleeding! Nora protect him!” Pyrrha orders as she shifts her attention back to Neo.

Ren gives a nod as he places the crystal down onto the ground and smashes it with the blade of his weapon, causing the green metal to shine a bright orange as the flames from the large crystal heat up the metal. He looks down at Weiss and sees her still breathing, barely conscious and gives a small sigh. “I’m sorry… this will hurt.” He says before gently placing the tip of the blade into Weiss’s wound, burning the ends of it and causing the Schnee to scream in intense pain as her eyes shoot wide open. Her screams echo throughout the room and outside as Ren tries to ignore it to continue treating the wound. Ruby and Yang tremble as they fight against Mercury and Emerald, the sound of hearing their dear friend going through such torture almost being enough to allow the two criminals to catch them off guard. Ren quickly tears off a large piece of his clothing, rolling it up into a ball and puts it into Weiss’s mouth. “Bite down on it!” He asks as he continues to tend the wound, much to Weiss’s displeasure.

Pyrrha sees Weiss going through the intense pain and looks down at Neo, knowing that she’s going to be going through the same exact pain that the young Schnee is. Taking a deep breath, she slams the dust crystal with her fist onto the ground, breaking it as it creates a large flame. She takes Milo and puts the blade into the flames as the metal heats up. She looks at Neo and gives a frown. “I’m sorry for all of this Neo…” She says before bringing the blade to the top of her shoulder where the wound starts and starts to burn off the ends of the wound.

Neo is suddenly brought back from unconsciousness as she feels the intense pain roaring through her body before she lets out a loud, scratchy scream of pain. Thinking quickly, Pyrrha takes off the fabric that was around her waist and rolls it up before having Neo bite down on it before continuing the process.

Nora sees Hazel stomping up towards the both of them and readies her hammer yet again. “I will break your kneecaps and watch you tumble down! You know what they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall!” She shouts as she runs in towards Hazel, still being powered by the electricity from earlier and slams the giant mallet into his arms. He is able to block the blow, skidding back before letting out a loud roar as his fist gets engulfed in fire and electricity, throwing a punch towards Nora. She jumps out of the from the punch only for Hazel to ram his shoulder and upper arm into the small woman, stabbing her in the stomach with the tip of the large yellow dust crystal. She groans in pain before feeling power surge through her once more as she kicks herself off of Hazel, a small hole in her stomach getting covered in pink energy. Blood drips from the hole and onto the floor, sparking with pink electricity as well before getting stomped on by Nora’s foot. She gives a cocky grin towards the giant and runs back in spinning around in a circle before she throws her hammer towards Hazel. He catches the large piece of metal in between his hands before Nora grabs the lower part of the handle, pulling the trigger. From the large hole that was on the face of the mallet, launches out a pink heart shaped grenade which explodes in Hazels face, causing him to drop the hammer and stumble back, pink smoke blinding his vision. Nora runs in and punches Hazel hard in the stomach as he gets sent back flying into the wall from across the room, creating a small crater as he falls to the floor. Nora picks up her hammer and gives Hazel a small laugh before falling onto her knees as all the pain finally catches up to her, supporting herself with her hammer.

The screams of pain and the intense fight between Nora and Hazel catches the attention of Blake Belladonna, who, alongside the faunuses of Menagire, were fighting against the White Fang. She rushes into the hall and sees the sight in front of her. She has no time to question why Neo was there when she sees Weiss screaming through the thick cloth that was in her mouth, before her eyes shift over to Yang. Yang sees Blake and gives a silent gasp before smiling softly at the black haired faunus. “Blake…” She says happily.

Blake smiles in return as her attention goes towards Ruby. “Ruby, Yang!” She says happily, wanting to go help her team but also knowing full well that the faunuses outside need her help too.

“It’s okay Blake, we’ll be fine. Go help defeat the White Fang.” Ruby says softly. Blake gives a small happy nod before running back towards her family and Sun. As soon as she finished saying that, Ruby is forced to turn her attention back towards Emerald to block another attack. She then feels the earth tremble beneath her as rubble from the top of the building starts to fall. Knowing that something is happening below them, she figures that now is a good opportunity for them to try to take the relic while Cinder was fighting someone for it. “Yang! Go now!” She shouts towards her sister.

Yang nods her head as she starts to run towards the large hole in the ground. Mercury grabs Yang by her robotic arm. “You’re not going anywhere!” He shouts. Yang gives him a smug grin as she closes her eyes and soon her robotic arm pops off of her shoulder, leaving Mercury confused with what just happened.

Emerald, seeing Mercury slacking runs towards Yang and holds her twin guns out to fire the knives from them in an attempt to pull Yang back towards her. “You’re not hurting Cinder!” She shouts. Before she could pull the trigger however, she would feel a sharp pain across her leg as a golden circular shield flies across her thigh, causing Emerald to fall on to the ground and missing her shot.

“She won’t hurt Cinder because that’s my job!” Pyrrha shouts, having thrown the shield to save Yang. Yang, upon seeing this, gives Pyrrha a small nod, who nods back, before jumping down into the hole. Pyrrha focuses her attention back on Neo, who’s wound has closed up thanks to Pyrrha’s treatment. “Are you feeling okay Neo?” Pyrrha asks.

Neo gives a small groan as she looks up at the spartan. “ **Never… felt better.** ” She signs softly before giving a groan of pain, doing her best to smile through it.

Pyrrha gives a soft chuckle as she helps Neo up to her feet. “Glad you still have your sense of humor about this.” She laughs softly, supporting Neo with her shoulder. Neo gives a small laugh before wincing in pain, as it hurt to laugh.

Ren gives a long sigh as he finally stops the bleeding from Weiss’s wound. She still has a large hole in her stomach, but she won’t die from the wound before they get medical help. Ren looks down at Weiss and gives her a caring look. “How are you feeling?” He asks.

“Well I have a huge hole in my stomach…” Weiss coughs before groaning in pain. “But all things considered… I’m feeling good.” She says with a soft smile.

Emerald stares on in disbelief as it looks like that, she, Mercury, and Hazel have lost. Her fears would only be confirmed as she hears the sirens of the Mistral Police force closing in over the White Fang. “No… this can’t be happening!” She shouts in fear and disbelief. Upon hearing the sirens, Professor Lionheart would run into the back of the hall, presumably to his office as this would be the last time anyone would see him alive. Meanwhile Blake has rushed back in to try to help apprehend the others, Adam having gotten away to try to lure her into a trap.

Hazel has gotten up from the crater as he stumbles over towards Emerald and Mercury. “We need to leave. We will have our chance another day.” He says softly, his rage having died down from the intense beating he took from the red head. He will definitely remember her face for being the one that got in the way of his revenge.

“No… we can’t leave! Not without Cinder!” Emerald pleads as she refuses to leave her savior behind. She winces in pain as she feels the blood from Pyrrha’s attack drip down her leg.

Mercury grabs Emerald by the shoulders and shakes her rapidly. “She’s not worth it! We need to leave now Emerald! She’s not going to come back!” He shouts at her.

“You’re wrong! I know she will come back! She would never leave us!” Emerald sobs softly, refusing to believe that the woman that saved her from the streets would abandon her so quickly. “In just a moment, she will come up from the vault with the relic in her hand and we can leave in victory!” As Emerald spoke this, the sounds of rumbling stones would be heard below her. Her eyes shine in hope as she expects to see Cinder arriving with the Relic of Knowledge, only for the hope to come crashing down as she sees a head of blonde hair holding the lamp above her head. That person being none other than Yang. “No… no no no no no! This can’t be happening!” Emerald mutters as she falls to her knees.

Mercury gives a grunt as he tries to pick Emerald up, only for her to fight against him. “Emerald! Let’s go!” He shouts a final time.

Emerald starts to rock back and forth as she starts to realize what Cinder truly thinks of her, refusing to believe it as her world breaks ever more and more. “No no no no NOOOOOOOOO!!!” She screams as a black smoke engulfs the arena. From the smoke rises a giant figure dressed in black cloth. Her upper body twists and contorts violently as blood curdling cracks echo through out the room as a white skinned woman with black eyes that had red pupils contorts herself to stand up straight. Her jaw drops down popping from its socket as her red eyes glow brightly and she lets out a loud monstrous scream.

Everyone looked on in horror as they see this monstrous woman towering over all of them before it screams at all of them. They all reel back and cover their eyes as the scream is so loud that it feels like it ruptured their ear drums. When they would uncover their eyes, they would see that the monstrous woman, Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel were gone. “W-what the hell was that?!” Blake asks, her cat ears falling flat in fear.

Oscar gets up onto his knees as he looks over at everyone. “That… was Salem…” He says softly, the group now knowing what their enemy looks like.

For the first time in forever, Pyrrha felt genuine fear at the monster she saw. This is the person that’s responsible for the Grimm and every event that’s happened in her life so far. She looks down at Neo who is shaking wildly, having realized that this is the person that her and Roman were working for all this time. This being of pure evil and malice that looks like she can destroy the world with so much as a thought. Neo clumsily moves her hand in an attempt to sign something. “ **T-that’s the person who’s been ordering Cinder around?”** She signs with clumsy hands.

Pyrrha nods her head, having been the only person to see Neo’s question. “I think so… our quest for vengeance is much more than we first thought…”


	9. The Argus Unlimited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes, determined to set a plan in motion, board the Argus Unlimited. Unfortunately, they can never get a moment of rest from the deadly Grimm.

A few days after the attack on Haven Academy, Weiss and Neo were able to make a full recovery, their wounds having been closed thanks to their aura and medical intervention. Unfortunately, they would be left with permanent scars on their body, but the two don’t seem to really mind that matter all that much, they’re just happy to still be alive to fight another day. Though Neo is upset that her favorite outfit has been ruined so, with Pyrrha’s help, she was able to get a new outfit that consisted of a white and pink tube top buttoned shirt that had black outlines, a grey ascot around her neck, and white form fitting khaki shorts with black leggings that ran down into white knee high boots. Over her entire outfit was a long black cloak with a pink colored interior lining. She had white leather gloves which went underneath the pink cuffs of her cloak. Of course, she still had Roman’s bowler hat, never wanting to leave without it just like how Pyrrha will never leave without Jaune’s hoodie.

Neo adjusts her gloves, giving a happy smirk as she clenches her fist, a hidden blade sliding out from her sleeve before she draws it back in. “ **I love my hidden babies!** ” Neo signs as she takes a happy sigh, sitting herself down on the bed of the dorm room of Haven Academy she was in. She clicks her heels and out came two hidden blades on each foot, one from the tip of the toes and one from her heel. She clicks them again and with a “ _shnnk_ ” the blades slide back into their hidden compartments.

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle at how armed Neo is with weaponry as she crosses her arms, leaning against the wall. “You sure do love your hidden surprises. First on Hush and now on your clothes, what’s the next place you’re going to hide a knife?” She asks with a soft smile.

Neo gives the spartan a knowing giggle. “ **Well, you know where the best place to put surprises is on a woman~** ” She signs with a wink causing Pyrrha to blush.

“That’s just gross, Neo.” Pyrrha grumbles as she tries to think of something to get her blush to disappear.

“ **What? I meant my hat!** ” Neo signs with a devious smile, trying to act innocent. “ **It’s you that has a dirty mind, not me.** ”

Pyrrha gives a groan as she rubs her temples. “Just… hurry up Neo. Everyone else is waiting for us.” She sighs as she impatiently taps her foot on the wooden floor. Neo rolls her eyes and takes out a makeup mirror, putting some light blue eyeshadow on before closing the mirror with a click. She hops up onto her feet and gives Pyrrha a small curtesy. “Yes yes, you look adorable.” Pyrrha compliments as she starts walking out of the dorm room. Deep down, Pyrrha does wish that she could look that cute instead of what she looks like right now. Of course, she knows that she’s pretty, even with her more gruff appearance, if she really tried, she could make herself look very pretty. But she can’t make herself look cute for she simply lacks the proper body for it. Pyrrha shakes her head as she dismisses the thought, knowing that she shouldn’t concern herself over the matters of her physical appearance. Right now, she has to focus on the goal at hand.

Neo skips alongside the taller woman, humming happily to herself. Soon the two women would arrive at the common area of the dorm building they stayed in, everyone else waiting patiently for the two. “Glad for you to join us Miss Nikos and Miss Politan.” Oscar says softly, the relic of knowledge floating over his hand. From the way he spoke, it’s obvious that this is Ozpin talking and not Oscar.

“I’m sorry that we’re late. Neo likes taking her time trying on clothes apparently.” Pyrrha apologizes with a small bow before sitting down on the sofa next to Ren. Neo gives a small shrug as everyone stares at her, looking at her new outfit before she sat down next to Pyrrha. “Anyways, what do you need to tell us? I assume something involving the lamp?” Pyrrha asks as she crosses her leg over the other.

“Your assumptions would be correct Miss Nikos.” Ozpin says as he holds out the lamp of knowledge out in front of him. “The lamp of knowledge is a very powerful relic that allows anyone to ask a question and receive an answer from the spirit of the lamp.” He explains as the lamp glows a faint blue as it floats up and down over the palm of his hand.

“I don’t really see how being able to get a question answered can be so powerful.” Nora says as she crosses her arms and leans into Ren’s shoulder.

“You do know that many wars have been started because of the pursuit of knowledge.” Blake questions as she looks over at Nora. “Many people have died from seeking out the greatest questions of all or to learn the secrets of what someone may be hiding. Learning things that shouldn’t be known can really change the world.” The cat faunus explains, her ears twitching slightly.

“You are exactly correct, Miss. Belladonna. In my many years of existence, knowledge has always been one of the major causes of wars, among other things such as lust for power, distrust and jealousy.” Ozpin pauses before clearing his throat. “But that’s a matter for us to discuss another time. For now, let’s get back to the lamp.”

“How exactly does it work? Do you just like give the lamp a rub and you can ask it questions?” Ruby wonders as she looks at the lamp curiously.

“What’s 2 + 2?” Nora blurts out, asking the simple question to see if it would respond.

Ozpin gives a hearty laugh from his boyish body. “I’m afraid that’s not how it works Miss. Valkyrie. First you have to call upon the name of the spirit that inhabits the lamp. There are also a few rules on what questions you can ask the spirit, mainly that you can’t ask any questions that would pertain to events that have yet to happen. For example, asking the spirit “Will I win the Vytal Festival?” will result in them refusing your question as they can’t decide your fate. Only you yourself can.” Ozpin explains as he takes a small pause. “Another situation of the lamp is that it can only answer three questions every one hundred years.”

“ **What about asking it for three more questions?** ” Neo signs with a giggle to which Pyrrha rolls her eyes.

“That’s a command, not a question Miss. Politan. The spirit would simply laugh and urge you to ask a question.” Ozpin chuckles. “Trust me, I’ve tried before.”

“Well are there any questions that we can ask it now? I think I have a few possible ones, such as the next location Salem and her forces could be heading towards.” Yang says, pondering over possible questions.

“I’m afraid I’ve used all the questions many years ago. I believe we have about… fifty-nine years left before the spirit will be ready to answer another three questions.” Ozpin explains as he brings the lamp back to him. Pyrrha looks at the lamp curiously and wonders to herself what if she could ask it on what Cinder’s plans are so that she can come up with some kind of strategy that would allow her and Neo to kill the witch.

She shakes her head, dismissing the small fantasy as she looks back at Oscar. “So, what’s the plan now? We obviously can’t stay here forever, especially now that the public knows that Lionheart is dead.” Pyrrha asks.

“The current plan right now is to try to take the Argus Unlimited towards Argus, and from that point forward we travel to Atlas. There we will take the lamp of knowledge and store it with the staff of creation. We can trust James to keep both relics safe from Salem.” Qrow explains, taking a big gulp from his metal flask before stashing it back inside his coat pocket.

“What about Vacuo? Isn’t it possible that Salem could attack there next?” Ren asks.

“Yeah, Vacuo is more primitive of a nation while Atlas is higher tech. Atlas can defend itself from a possible Grimm invasion, but Vacuo can’t. At least not easily.” Weiss adds on, knowing Atlas as well as the back of her hand.

“Hmm while it is a possibility that Salem could attack Vacuo, and her doing so would be even more dangerous if she’s able to get the sword of destruction.” Ozpin thinks aloud as the grim situation starts to become clear to him.

“What if we’re to split up? One group heads to Atlas while the other heads to Vacuo, that way we can accomplish both goals.” Pyrrha suggests.

“I agree. We will need as many people as we can to head to Atlas with us so that we can protect the relic. But we can send about maybe four or five people over to Vacuo to help secure Shade Academy, especially since the school is still active currently. At least from what I heard.” Ruby says nodding her head. She recalls Coco and Velvet saying that their team were going to Shade Academy to continue their education, so if they could group up with team CFVY and the other students at Shade, they could stand a chance against Salem and her forces, especially if they’re prepared for a potential attack.

“Hmm while I am hesitant to split us apart, I can’t deny the possibility that Salem could go to either kingdom. She could potentially attack both kingdoms at once.” Oscar ponders as he sits up from the chair to pace around the room while he thinks, the lamp having shrunken down and hooked on to his belt.

“Well if Salem decides to attack both, that means she will be splitting her forces as well, which could give us an advantage.” Yang points out.

“Taking everything into consideration, I don’t see what else we have to lose.” Ren says, mind set on this idea.

“Yeah, seems like a solid idea to me. Good thinking kid.” Qrow compliments as he holds his flask up to Pyrrha approvingly before taking a gulp of the alcoholic drink.

“The only argument I have about this is that we would be split up and weaker, but if Salem would be splitting up her forces as well for this, then I must agree to this idea of splitting us up.” Ozpin says through Oscar as he sits back down.

“ **This all sounds like a huge risk. There’s a very high possibility that Salem won’t split her forces up and focus entirely on one place.** ” Neo signs as she thinks over every single possible outcome.

“Yes, I know this is a risk Miss. Politan, but I feel confident in making this decision. I have a feeling that Salem will split her forces, considering that she’s slowly making herself known across Remnant, she’s done waiting.” Ozpin says, taking Neo’s words into consideration. “Now the only matters that we need to agree upon are the teams.”

The group gives a small hum as they think over what possible teams they could form. “Well, how about we go with our Beacon teams? Team RWBY and Team JNPR, though I guess now it’s more of Team Pandora or Team PNNR. We’re all familiar fighting with each other the most, able to improvise and adapt with each other easily.” Blake suggests as she looks at her teammates.

“Ah going back to our Beacon teams! This makes me soooo excited to be able to go on another adventure with each other!” Nora cheers happily, jumping into the air slightly before being sat back down by both Ren and Pyrrha.

Pyrrha gives a small sigh as she realizes that she’s now technically the leader of this new team. “I’m just wondering why I’m the leader and not someone else.” She asks not feeling very confident in her leadership abilities.

“Well to speak honestly, I’m quieter and have a hard time telling others what to do, Nora gets distracted easily and Neo… well we still just don’t trust her fully yet. A leader should be someone that we can all trust and be able to rely on. No offense Neo.” Ren apologizes as he gives the pink and brown-haired woman a small bow.

Neo feigns being insulted and starts to cry softly before Pyrrha gave her a small nudge on the shoulder to get her to stop her crocodile tears. Neo gives a small giggle as she shrugs. “ **None taken. I wouldn’t trust me either.** ” She signs.

“Well… I’m not sure if I can live up to Jaune’s leadership…” Pyrrha trails off as she thinks about her leader, partner and lover, giving a small sniff as she clenches her fist in determination. “But I’ll try my hardest to live up to what he left behind.” She says confidently looking at her team.

“And that’s all we ask Pyrrha. You don’t need to be Jaune 2.0. You just need to be Pyrrha.” Ren told her softly, a small smile on his face.

“Yeah! You’ll lead us in your own way! And I’m like one hundred ten percent sure that this way is perfect!” Nora exclaims as she wraps her arm around Pyrrha’s shoulder, causing the spartan to give a small eye roll at the younger ginger’s excitement.

“Anyways, I guess we can take my team to Vacuo. I know that there’s a boat that leaves for Vacuo in Argus so we can all stick together until then.” Pyrrha says as she looks over to Ruby. “You, your team, Ozpin and Qrow can travel to Atlas with the relic. We should probably have as many people protecting the relic as possible.”

“I agree. There are many risks that we could run into with the lamp in our possession. At least with General Ironwood, we would have the entire Atlas Military protecting us.” Ruby thinks aloud as she runs over how her and Ironwood meeting for the first time in forever would go in her head.

“Well does Ironwood even know that we have the relic? Or that Haven was even attacked? Considering that global communications are still down.” Weiss asks aloud.

“It’s most likely that he knows about the attack on Haven, though his knowledge is most likely vague for the most part.” Ozpin answers as he taps his cane on the floor absentmindedly.

“What are we going to tell him about Leo? Tell him what we told the public that he died a hero?” Qrow asks as he takes out his flask to take another sip, only to find it empty, causing him to give a grumble and put it back in his coat pocket.

“No. We tell him the truth. Ironwood deserves to know the truth about Leo, as does Corvy.”

“Corvy?” Ren asks, this name being unfamiliar to him.

“Corvy Straw, she’s the headmaster of Shade Academy. A bit eccentric and clumsy at times, but a masterful genius. She’s even beaten me at chess many times over.” Ozpin chuckles softly remembering all the chess matches he would have with the fellow headmaster. “Pyrrha, when you and your group arrive in Vacuo, she will most likely ask you how you got here. Tell her that you took the yellow brick road. She will know that I sent you.”

“She is very… well how do I put this… friendly.” Qrow says with a groan, remembering how this woman can be at times.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Pyrrha says before looking back at Oscar. “Is there anything else we need to discuss?”

“No, that will be all. Get ready to leave in the morning. For now, enjoy some time amongst yourselves.” Ozpin says with a gentle smile before Oscar’s eyes flash and soon the young farm boy is back in control of his body.

“I didn’t expect there to be a person that could be smarter than Ozpin, well smarter than me? I’m still not sure how to describe our situation.” Oscar mutters as he scratches the back of his head.

“We get what you mean.” Blake smiles warmly as she stands up from the couch and gives a stretch, her cat ears twitching softly as she stretches. She looks over to Ruby and takes a quick glance at Ruby’s hand, seeing the metal cap that rested on where her pinkie finger should be. “Are you going to get a new finger Ruby? It’s still a surprise to me that you lost it from a Grimm of all things.” Blake asks, not knowing the truth about Ruby’s finger.

“No, I don’t think I will. It serves as a good reminder.” Ruby says happily, taking a look at her hand before clenching it with determination. “It reminds me what it truly means to be a huntress.” She says fondly before looking at Pyrrha briefly. Yang looks over at Ruby and then to Pyrrha, remembering everything that Pyrrha said last night when she was fighting Cinder.

Pyrrha avoids eye contact, giving a small sigh before getting up from the sofa. “I’m going to pack my things; not like I have much to pack.” She says as she starts to leave the room.

Yang gets up from the sofa her team occupied and follows Pyrrha. “Let me help!” She calls out, causing Pyrrha to look at the blonde with a small expression of shock. She thought Yang never wanted to see her face again.

“Sure, knock yourself out.” Pyrrha sighs as her and Yang leave the common room. Once they arrive at her room, Pyrrha turns around and closes the door. “What happened to you not wanting to see my face ever again?” She asks, taking out a small duffle bag to pack some of her clothes and supplies away.

“Well… it’s what you said last night. Do you really mean it?” She asks, holding open the duffle bag so that Pyrrha can put away some spare pieces of her armor.

“I said plenty of things last night. You’re going have to be more specific.”

“I mean the part where you said that your life doesn’t matter and that we’re the important ones. Do you really mean that?” Yang asks, clarifying her question.

Pyrrha pauses for a brief moment as she tries to think over how to best word this. She gives a small sigh and continues packing, folding a t-shirt. “Yes, I do. By all accounts, I should’ve died at the Battle of Beacon, but as we all know, that’s not what happened.” she says as she zips up the duffel bag and puts it on the side of her bed. “I’m just a dead girl walking. I’ll die soon enough.”

“Pyrrha… don’t say that. You being here has helped us immensely, hell if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to make it to the vault and take the relic. Emerald would have stabbed me through the leg, and we would have suffered another defeat like at Beacon.” she says trying to make Pyrrha feel better about herself.

“I know but… Jaune should be the one here. Not me. He should’ve lived and helped you guys. I accepted the fact that I was going to die that day, but I didn’t because he made the sacrifice himself.” Pyrrha says coldly as she’s trying to not let her emotions get the better of her and keep a cold façade in front of Yang.

“Maybe in some other timeline Jaune is here with us, but all of that is in the past now. We have to move forward. Even if it does hurt Pyrrha, we have to continue forward.” Yang comforts Pyrrha, putting a hand on the Spartan’s shoulder.

Pyrrha gives a deep sigh as she looks up to Yang, her emerald eyes meeting lilac. “I’m surprised that you’re so quick to forgive someone like me for taking your sister’s finger.”

“Don’t get me wrong.” Yang pauses as she gives Pyrrha a small glare. “I’m still pissed at you for what you did but, I’m trying to look past that and move forward. Ruby tried to defend you by lying about how she lost her finger, and she doesn’t hold any grudges against you so… perhaps I shouldn’t either. I’m sorry for all the things I told you yesterday. I would still like to try to be friends with you.” Yang says softly as she takes a deep sigh, her glare softening and becoming a small smile.

Seeing Yang take the big step and to apologize for her anger showed Pyrrha how much the blonde has changed during Beacon and now. She was silent for a moment, having not expected to hear all of this from Yang before giving a soft smile to the bruiser. “Apology accepted. You’ve really changed a lot, haven’t you? And I mean this in a good way.”

“I have. Losing an arm helped me turn out “all right” in the end!” Yang says with a cheesy grin and a finger gun.

“Aaaand the Yang I knew is back. It was a pleasure for her to be gone for a while.” Pyrrha groans as she hears the terrible pun, face palming herself.

“Hey! It’s not my fault that I’m such a “magnet” for amazing puns~” Yang chuckles heartily as she points at Pyrrha, causing the red head to give another groan. “Now don’t give me that look! There’s no need to view us rekindling our friendship as a “Pyrrhic” victory!”

“Yang… for the love of god please shut the fuck up.” Pyrrha growls, getting sick of the blonde’s terrible puns, only causing the blonde to laugh even harder at the Spartan’s misfortune.

“Alright alright, I’ll get out of your hair. But if you ever need someone to talk to, just let me know. I “gauntlet” you brood by yourself!” Yang says as she quickly brings out Ember Celica just for the sake of the terrible pun. Pyrrha responds by slamming her head into the pillow and lets out a loud scream of annoyance. Yang gives one more laugh before finally leaving, allowing the Spartan to finally get some peace and quiet.

“This is going to be a long journey…” Pyrrha grumbles as she lays down on the bed to think to herself.

The next day would find the group at the train station, waiting patiently to board their train as it hasn’t arrived yet. Blake was busy talking to Sun really quick before she regrouped with the rest of the group. “Sun’s not coming with us?” Ruby asks the cat faunus.

“Unfortunately, he isn’t. He said that he and his team are going to Vale to volunteer for the reconstruction as well as defend the people from any potential Grimm attacks.” Blake explains with a longing smile on her face.

“Vale huh? To think that’s where we all started this journey.” Ren says with a reminiscing sigh, remembering when they were all students at Beacon. “We’ve all grown in so many ways. We’re not the same people we were back then.”

“ **Well some of us hasn’t changed at all. Such as the blonde bimbo over there.** ” Neo signed with a teasing grin. She knew that Yang has changed quite a bit since Beacon but that doesn’t mean she won’t make fun of her.

Yang looks at Neo and then over to Pyrrha. “What did she say? I don’t understand hands.”

“She said that you’ve changed a lot since Beacon.” Pyrrha lied, a smile on her face as well as she goes along with what Neo signed for the small little joke. Everyone else besides Nora knew what Neo actually said but they had a feeling that Neo didn’t mean it. Well at least they hoped she didn’t mean it.

“Man, remembering what I was like back at Beacon is making me realize…” Nora trails off as she gives a small nervous laugh. “I haven’t really changed much heheh.”

“Nonsense Nora! You’ve changed quite a bit! For one, you’re much more determined!” Ruby says trying to tell the ginger that she’s grown quite a bit too.

“Correct. I’ve also saw you be much more mature when the situation calls for it while still saying small little quips to cheer us all up. If this was Beacon Nora, you would’ve gone on and on about some random joke that you think is funny while we all discussed our plan of attack.” Weiss explains as she’s impressed with how much Nora has matured while also still being her cute goofy self.

“Well, I do have Ren to thank for that.” Nora says happily as she drapes her arms over his shoulders, hugging him softly. Ren gives a small smile as he leans back into the hug.

“To be fair, you’d be lost without me, both literally and figuratively.” Ren says with a sigh.

“Hey! I can get my way around places!” Nora shouts, trying to defend her honor.

“You got lost in the dorm rooms at Beacon.” Ren says flatly, causing Nora to shrink down in embarrassment.

“You also got lost in Vale, literally a few streets away from Beacon itself.” Pyrrha chimes in with a smile.

“Hey! You don’t need to remind me of that…” Nora grumbles as she gives a pout, causing the group of friends to give a small laugh.

The group of hunters in training would soon see Qrow and Oscar approach them as Qrow motions for everyone to get up. “Come on everyone. The train will let us board soon. I can trust that you can guide Nora to the platform?” He asks with a cheeky grin, having overheard the last part of their conversation.

Nora’s jaw drops as a red blush graces her face. “Curse your semblance Qrow!”

“Normally I would curse it alongside you, but I have a feeling that wasn’t my semblance this time.” He laughs as everyone walks with Ruby’s uncle to the sleek looking white train.

Everyone would board upon the train with little issue, with team RWBY, Qrow and Oscar resting in one lounge area while team PNNR rest in another. Nora gives a small sigh as she looks outside the window. “Man… there’s nothing to see except for snow. It’s making me hungry.” She laments as she leans back in her red velvet chair, putting her hand on her stomach as she makes a terrible stomach growl noise with her mouth.

“ **Did she just try to imitate a stomach growl to prove her point?** ” Neo signs with a quizzical look.

“Yeah, she did. This is something that you’ll get used to.” Pyrrha says with a tired smile to which Ren nods his head.

“Nora and I have spent our entire lives together so trust me, this isn’t anything new.” Ren adds, appreciating the odd, yet interesting nature of the person that is known as Nora.

Neo gives a small hum as she decides to do something nice for her new team. “ **Well do you want me to get you something to eat? Like ice cream or some other kind of treat?** ” She signs with a kind genuine smile.

Nora looks at Neo, her too not knowing sign language but getting the feeling that it had something to do with food. “If you said something about getting me food then YES PLEASE! I’m so hungry that I could eat anything! But looking at all this snow is really getting me in the mood for a snow cone or ice cream!” She says excitedly, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of food.

Neo gives a small giggle as she gets up from the chair and motions for Pyrrha to come with her, to which Pyrrha responds by getting out of her chair. “Do you want anything Ren?” Pyrrha asks, looking at the raven-haired young man.

“I’m good. Though if they have tea, then I would like a cup.” He says softly before looking over at Nora, noticing her getting lost in her dreamland of food as she starts to drool. Ren gives a sigh as he takes out his handkerchief and wipes away the drool.

With a small laugh at Nora’s Noraness, the two women leave the compartment they were in and travel down the aisles to look for some kind of concessions stand. As they would walk down the aisles, Pyrrha would feel a small gentle tug on the fabric of cloth that was wrapped around her hip. Turning around she would see a small brown-haired boy, appearing to be no more than seven years old. He looks up at Pyrrha excitedly as he bounces up and down in place. “You da lady that’s on the box of Pumpkin Pete’s!” He exclaims as his eyes sparkle at meeting the celebrity.

Pyrrha gives a small blush as she knows exactly what this kid is talking about. Are they really still selling boxes of cereal that has her face on it still? She gives a small gentle smile to the kid as she kneels down to get to his height. “I’m sorry little one, but I’m afraid that you’re mistaking me for someone else.” She says softly, not wanting to get recognized all because of a dumb cereal box.

“But I’m positive dat you’re her! You sound like her too! Can you pwease do the commercial!” He asks excitedly.

Neo looks at the exchange going on and gives a gentle smile as she crosses her arms. She never expected Pyrrha to be so good with kids. Though considering what she was like back at Beacon, it should be no surprise. It’s more of her having her be more familiar with what Pyrrha is now that it’s a surprise to see her be so tender and sweet to a kid. It makes Neo feel happy inside, she herself having always liked kids as well, never wanting to harm a young innocent child. Now teens on the other hand, are an exception.

Pyrrha gives a small sigh, seeing as she has no way to get out of this without disappointing the kid. “Alright, it’s been a long time since I did this commercial so please forgive me if I say anything wrong.” Pyrrha smiles as she clears her throat. When she would speak again, her voice would go back to how it once was during her days at Beacon, purposefully speaking in a higher pitch so that the kid can be even happier with her performance. “Everybody knows that a prefight meal is the most important. That’s why I always turn towards Pumpkin Pete’s Marshmallow Flakes before a match!” Pyrrha says happily before eating an invisible bowl of cereal, letting out a happy hum. “Mmm taste that? That tastes like victory!” She says giving a very cheesy grin as she gives a thumbs up. As Pyrrha recited this, Neo was having a hard time keeping in her silent laughter. Seeing the edgy and cold Pyrrha acting so cheesy and reciting a commercial humored her more than it should. Pyrrha knew that Neo was clearly enjoying herself as she gives a small grumble inside her head, holding the cheesy smile so that the kid doesn’t get disturbed.

The kid let’s out a long wow as his eyes sparkle at the marvel that was in front of him. To him, this is the coolest thing he’s ever seen! The lady that was on the box for his favorite breakfast cereal just recited his favorite commercial! This truly is a dream come true for him! “Wow! Dat was sooooo awesome! You’re da best cereal box lady!” He says excitedly as he gives Pyrrha a big hug, which caught her by surprise before returning the hug. Neo let’s out a silent coo of adoration at the sight, seeing this soft spot that the cold-hearted huntress has. Soon enough the little boy broke away from the hug. “I gotta go back to my mommy! But I’ll see you later cereal box lady!” He says happily before running back down the aisle to presumably go back to his mother.

“Stay safe little one!” Pyrrha calls out, her voice going back to the deeper and rougher tone she’s gotten used to talking in.

Pyrrha turns around and sees Neo giving a small grin. “ **I had no idea you had such a soft spot for children.** ” She signs, to which Pyrrha blushed a little.

“Well… I’ve always had one. They were one of my biggest motivations to become a huntress, so that I can protect them.” Pyrrha says softly as she continues walking down the aisles with Neo.

“ **Well, it’s good to see that you’re not frozen inside Cereal Box Lady~** ” Neo signs with a shit eating grin.

Pyrrha gives Neo a glare as she holds the small woman by her ascot. “You tell no one of this, you hear me? And wipe that smug grin off your face.” Pyrrha growls as she points her finger at Neo, to which her smile only grows wider. The spartan gives a small sigh as she lets the tiny woman go. “Let’s just go get Nora’s snack.” Pyrrha grumbles before continuing the trek. Neo gives a small giggle as she follows after Pyrrha.

As they would make their way through the aisles however, the two women would feel the entire train shake as if something landed on top of it. Their suspicions would be confirmed as they hear a monstrous roar from outside. A Grimm attack, figures that this wouldn’t be a short and easy trip. Without a second thought, Pyrrha and Neo run back towards their cabin to grab their weapons, only to see Nora and Ren already running towards the back of the car, already holding Milo, Akouo and Hush. Ren tosses Pyrrha’s weapons towards her as Nora does the same towards Neo. “Let’s hurry up before the Grimm are able to cause any serious damage.” Ren says in a calm yet urgent voice. With a nod, team PNNR exits out the back door of the car and climb up the ladders that were on the outside of the cars.

Upon reaching the top, they would spot team RWBY as well as Oscar and Qrow dealing with several Manticore Grimm as well as one giant Chimera Grimm. Before they had a chance to prepare themselves, one of the manticores swoops down in an attempt to stab Pyrrha with it’s scorpion like tail. With quick thinking she was able to block the blow with her shield before grabbing the tail with her freehand and slamming the large beast down on to the train car in an impressive feat of strength. As soon as the beast went down, a loud bang would echo through the air as the manticore’s head explodes into black ash before the rest of it’s body followed. Looking up, Pyrrha would see Neo flourishing her parasol as she gives a small nod towards Pyrrha. Pyrrha nods back as she grabs Milo, holding it with a firm grip as team PNNR spots a large swarm of Grimm flying towards them.

“Ugh we can never have a moment of rest!” Nora complains as she side steps out of the way from a claw swipe before back flipping to avoid a stab from the scorpion tail. As she back flipped, she shifted her hammer into a grenade launcher and took a few shots at the beast before shifting it back into a hammer and crushing it’s skull during it’s stunned state from the smoke grenades.

Ren gracefully dodges out of the way from two flying tackles from the manticores before taking out Stormflower and slashing one of the manticore’s side when he dodged. He pivots around and fires six shots at the injured Grimm, dispatching it before bringing up his duel guns to block a claw from another Grimm. He cuts off the claw, using his guns like a pair of scissors before stabbing the beast through the skull with the long sickle like blades that rested on his emerald guns. “This is what we signed up for Nora. We have to protect the defenseless no matter what.” He tells his childhood friend.

“I know that! It’s just that I can’t fight Grimm on an empty stomach!” Nora complains before smacking a Grimm in the middle of it’s face, causing it to be launched into another one, as both are sent flying into the large mountainside wall.

“Let’s focus on the Grimm that are trying to kill us before talking about why we want to become hunters.” Pyrrha tells the group as she shatters into glass from a manticore pouncing onto her and stabbing the roof of the train car with it’s tail, the stinger piercing through the thick metal. From behind the manticore, Pyrrha jumps on top of the Grimm, stabbing it in the neck with her shield before shooting it with Milo, which was in it’s handgun configuration. She gives another nod to Neo before having to refocus her attention on a manticore as it fires spurts of venom from it’s tail at Pyrrha, who blocks it with her shield.

Neo, meanwhile, parries a tail stab from one of the manticores as she smacks it across the head with Hush before parrying a vertical claw swipe, using the opening to slam her parasol on top of it’s head and using the momentum to leap over the beast and getting behind it. She quickly takes out the large hidden blade from the parasol, holding both the blade and the parasol that acted as a sheath in her hands. She cuts off the tail of the Grimm before lunging the tip of her blade through the open wound. With a flick of her wrist upwards, the blade cuts the monster like butter as it lets out a pained roar before turning into dust. She puts the sword back into it’s sheath and then hears a loud burst of fire coming from her right. She quickly opens up Hush to block an incoming fire ball before feeling the wind sweeping her away. She gives a grunt as she quickly closes Hush so that she can drop back down onto the train. “ _I am not letting that happen to me again._ _How I hate you wind._ ” Neo thinks to herself as she was thankfully able to dodge the fire ball from the wind sweeping her away. She points her parasol towards the flying manticore and pulls the trigger that was on the handle of her parasol, firing large canon like shots of fire dust towards the beast. Her aim hits true as the monster falls down into the forest below before dispersing into black dust.

Team PNNR all back into each other as they take a survey of the area around them. There are still numerous amounts of Grimm flying towards them, at least thirty of the beasts. It’s very rare for there to be this many Grimm during one attack, so there has to be something that’s attracting them. As the team of four stand back to back, they use their guns to shoot down a few approaching manticores before Pyrrha shouts. “Thunder Blossom!”

Without thinking, Nora quickly launches herself towards one of the Grimm that were on the top of the train. She would then use her hammer to lunge herself over the large beast before swinging her hammer, hitting the Grimm from it’s rear and launching it towards Ren. Ren slides underneath the flying Grimm, using his gun blades to slice it’s underbelly before shooting it in the wounds, causing the manticore to land on top of the train with a thud before becoming a pile of black dust.

Pyrrha would look at Neo as she gives another shout. “Cherry Sundae form 1!” On que, Pyrrha would hold out her shield in front of her with Neo jumping onto it. Pyrrha gives a strong push as Neo jumps up into the air, getting launched as she twirls, before flipping around, Hush pointed at the back of the Grimm. Neo would then spin rapidly in the air as she descends like a drill towards the beast, piercing straight through it, causing it to turn into black dust like the others. Pyrrha would hear a thud from behind her followed by a roar before she quickly shifts Milo into a spear and lunges the point behind her, stabbing the manticore through the chest before flicking her wrist and slicing it in half.

After the group would perform their attacks, they would notice the Grimm spread their wings out and float away from the train, confusing the hunters. They would turn around and spot why. Coming straight towards them was a cave, and there wasn’t enough space for them to stay on the roof. “CAVE!!!” Oscar shouts from a distance as everyone starts to rush towards the ladder to get back into the train.

Nora would start to run only for her to find her foot getting stuck in something and falling to the cold metal top of the train. She looks down and spots that her foot is inside a perfectly sized hole in the ceiling, having come from one of the Grimm’s attacks earlier. With a worried look on her face, she tries to take her foot out. “My foot’s stuck!” She cries out in desperation. Ren, upon hearing this, rushes over to help Nora get unstuck.

As Pyrrha looks at her team, she notices the cave entrance getting closer and closer. She closes her eyes and holds out her hands, enveloping the train car in a black aura as she lets out a loud growl in pain. She’s never had to use her polarity on an object as big as this going at such high speeds. She gives a scream of determination as the train starts to slow down from Pyrrha trying to fight against it’s momentum. “HURRY!!! I CAN’T KEEP THIS UP!!!” She shouts towards Ren and Nora, her aura flashing green briefly as she attempts to keep her focus. With a deep breath, Ren yanks Nora’s foot out from the hole, causing her to give a small yelp in pain before helping her get off the top of the train where Neo was waiting. Pyrrha, upon seeing Ren and Nora in safety quickly releases the train cart as it picks up it’s speed, with Pyrrha being able to get into safety just in time.

Upon getting back inside the train, Pyrrha throws herself down onto one of the train seats, her aura flashing green rapidly before settling down. Using her polarity to such an extent really took a lot out of her. She takes out her scroll to check on her aura and notices that she’s in the red, cursing as she puts it away. Everyone was looking at Pyrrha in amazement causing her to raise her eyebrow curiously while panting heavily. “What?” She asks.

“You slowed down a train with your polarity! That was soooo cool!” Nora exclaims excitedly despite the mortal danger she was in just a few seconds earlier.

Pyrrha rolls her eyes at Nora’s excitement before looking over at Ruby and Oscar. “Why are there so many Grimm? I would only expect like maybe five or six but not over thirty of them.” She asks, confused on why there are so many. Everyone on the train was in a good mood from what she saw so there has to be some reason.

“I believe I might have the answer.” Chimes in Oscar, who is being controlled by Ozpin in the current moment. “I believe the Grimm are attracted to the relic.” He says, gesturing towards the lamp on his hip. “I have no idea why the Grimm want any of the relics or if it’s Salem having created the Grimm to look for the relics, but the point of the matter is that this is attracting them.” He says in a calm voice.

Yang gives Oscar a small glare as she crosses her arms. “That information would have been good to know beforehand!” She shouts as she taps her foot on the ground.

“I’m sorry Miss Xiao Long, I wasn’t confident in my theory but this incident all just proved it.” He says, trying to keep things calm.

“It would have still been useful to tells us so that we were prepared in the worst possible scenario!” She retorts as she stands tall over Oscar.

Ruby goes up to Yang and tries to gently push her away from Oscar. “Yang calm down, we can’t get too emotional or else we will attract even more Grimm.” Ruby reminds the tall blonde huntress who gives a sigh and grumbles, crossing her arms. “But Ozpin, if we’re to be traveling together from now on, then you have to promise us something.”

“And what would that be Miss Rose?” Inquires Ozpin.

“No more secrets. You need to tell us the truth and not hide anything.” Ruby told Ozpin firmly.

Pyrrha gives a small scoff as she looks at Ozpin. “You told me to keep the knowledge of the Maidens a secret, as well as me being chosen to be the next Fall Maiden and look at where that got us. Many deaths and the destruction of Beacon.” She points out.

“Take it from me. Keeping secrets only pushes people away and will hurt them more in the end. While the truth may hurt in the present, in the future it will bring people closer as they feel closer to you.” Blake tells Ozpin gently, trying to be a calm voice of reason as she more than knows what it’s like to keep secrets.

Ozpin pauses for a moment as he thinks over a response. He would then give a small nod as he looks at everyone. “Alright. No more secrets. I won’t hide anything from you anymore.” He says with a gentle smile. If only everyone knew how many more secrets Ozpin had and refused to share with the others.

“Thank you, Professor Ozpin. We trust you so you need to be able to trust us.” Ruby says with a gentle smile.

Weiss looks out the window from the back of the train and spots a few manticores running on foot towards the train. “They’re starting to catch up on us.” Weiss warns them as she spins the barrel in her rapier before thrusting it down on the floor, creating a wall of ice between the end of the train and the Grimm. It won’t stop them forever, but it’ll at least slow them down for a while.

“We need some kind of plan. Some way to keep all the Grimm isolated from the passengers.” Ren says as he tries to come up with something.

“Hey, can’t your semblance allow you to dull out the emotions of people? Why not use that?” Qrow suggests.

“That would only work for the passengers, the Grimm would still be attracted to the lamp unfortunately.” Ozpin retorts as he thinks of something.

Neo taps her parasol on the floor to get everyone’s attention. “ **What if we split up? Team RWBY, Oscar and Qrow stay behind while PNNR stays with the passengers and hide them from the Grimm with the use of Ren’s semblance.** ”

Pyrrha gives a small hum. “And once we’re separated, we can split off the last train car, allowing us to get away with the passengers while the relic stays behind.” She adds to which Neo gives a nod as that’s what she was thinking.

“That could actually work. Good thinking Neo!” Ruby compliments as she gives the woman a thumbs up, causing Neo to lean back into the chair and put her arms behind her head in pride.

“We’ll need to evacuate the passengers from the back up to the front first. We need to be quick too, who knows how much of this tunnel we have left.” Blake says as she prepares herself for the plan.

“Then let’s get started team.” Ruby shouts as everyone rushes in to set the plan in motion. Team RWBY goes into the back, along with Pyrrha and Neo, who help usher the passengers into the front parts of the train as well as trying to help them with their luggage working as fast as they can.

Once everyone was near the front half of the train, Ren kneeled down amongst the crowd and prepared himself. He’s never had to use his semblance to such an extreme extent before so he isn’t sure if he can do it. But he has to try so that everyone would be safe. Nora gives Ren a reassuring shoulder rub, believing that he can do it. With a smile, Ren touches the floor as the train and passengers around them start to become grey and lifeless looking.

Seeing Ren using his semblance, Pyrrha goes over to the last train car entrance and looks over at Ruby. “Be safe Ruby and meet us as soon as you get to Argus.” Pyrrha told her as she gives a friendly squeeze on the shorter woman’s shoulder.

“Will do Pyrrha. You stay safe too.” She says as the train finally exits out of the cave. Taking out Crescent Rose, she slices the joint that connected the two train cars together causing her start falling behind from Pyrrha. She gives a small rave to the red head before firing herself on top of the train in a burst of rose petals to fight the oncoming Grimm.

Pyrrha gives a small sigh before turning around to go back inside with a small look of concern. Neo spots this and gives Pyrrha a small nudge. “ **Try not to worry. They’ll be fine going against all of those Grimm. They did just fine when they went against the Grimm during the attack of Beacon.** ” Neo signed with a reassuring smile. “ **Besides, taken from my experience, they’re hard to kill.** ”

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle as she walks back over to Ren and Nora with Neo in tow. “Heh, for better or for worse.” She says as she takes out her scroll to check on her aura levels. She’s now three quarters back to full thanks to the rest. She checks on Ren’s semblance and notices it going down at a steady pace. “Try to hang in there Ren.”

“Shh let me concentrate.” Ren scolds before taking a deep breath to go back to a neutral state.

A few moments would pass as Nora starts to notice the grey colors starting to disappear, their surroundings starting to be filled with bright colors once again. She looks over at Ren and notices him breathing heavily before being forced to drop his semblance due to exhaustion. Nora goes over to his side and helps support him to his feet. “Are you okay Ren?” She asks in concern.

“I’m fine… I’m just not used to holding it out for that long nor in that big of an area.” He pants as he wipes some sweat from his forehead, his aura flashing.

Soon however they would feel a large crash on the train cart as they hear a lion’s roar from outside. Quickly getting back on top of the train, they spot a few manticores trying to break in from the top. There aren’t as many as last time but there are still a good few that they need to take out. Pyrrha and her team ready their weapons before noticing Ren was among them. “Ren go rest up. We can handle it from here.” Nora tells him gently to which he shakes his head.

“No. I still have some energy left in me. I don’t want to stand idle while you three put your lives at risk.” He tells them before firing pot shots at some of the manticores. They turn around from the piercing sensation they felt and charge towards Ren. From their tails would shoot out even more of the purple venom as Ren jumps out of the way. He dives kick towards one of the Grimm, his foot meeting it square in the face as he jumps off of it’s head, twirling in the air as he lands on the ground, the blades from Stormflower slicing through the Grimm’s body.

Nora rushes past Ren as she smacks the underside of a Grimm’s jaw, launching it upwards towards which a golden shield flies through, slicing it’s midsection before returning to it’s owner. Pyrrha grabs her shield and then shifts her spear into a rifle, aiming down the sight lines and shooting the manticores in the eyes and joints of the wings with expert marksmanship. They let out a roar of pain as they get grounded, to which Neo greets them with a cartwheel of death, using the hidden blades in her boots to slice up the Grimm in half. Performing a handstand, she would bring down her feet down on top of the skull of the finale manticore before splitting her legs, causing the beast to be ripped in half.

Upon spotting that all of the Grimm are dead, the team put away their weapons as they start to head back towards the ladder to get back inside the train. However, as they would make their way, the train car would jump up into the air before slamming back down onto the tracks, having hit something. The four of them didn’t expect this and combining the sudden motion with the metal roof that was a little bit icy, it caused the four of them to slide off of the roof and towards the forest below them. Neo closes her eyes as she creates illusions behind them in an attempt to break their fall. As they shatter through the glass illusions, they would feel their speed decrease ever more slightly before they finally feel themselves land in the fluffy snow. Pyrrha sits up from her back as she looks around, wincing in slight pain from the impact. “Is everyone okay?” She asks as she looks around, spotting Nora headfirst in the deep snow. Her legs kick wildly around as she tries to pull herself out, screams being muffled by the snow. Ren trudges through and pulls Nora out from the snow by grabbing her from the waist.

“Whew, I really need to stop getting stuck.” She sighs as she shakes her head, wiping the snow out of her hair. Ren puts Nora down as the two of them look for Neo. “Where’s Neo?” She asks only to hear a small clearing of a throat from above. They would spot Neo hooked onto a branch of a large tree. Nora gives a cheesy smile as she looks up to the mute. “Stop hanging around and let’s get going!” She laughs softly at the pun which causes her to get glares from everyone around her. “Yeah… that was pretty bad.” She whimpers.

Neo gives a small sigh as she flips herself around, unhooking herself from the tree before opening her parasol and floating down to the ground. She lands with a “ _pomf_ ” as small bits of snow fly up from the impact. “ **There are to be no puns at all or else I will stab you in your sleep.** ” Neo threatens causing Ren to hold Nora closer to him.

“Uh… what did she say?” Nora asks Pyrrha.

“She said that she doesn’t want to hear any more puns or else.” She translates, leaving out the “stab you in your sleep” part on purpose.

“Hey! I just wanted to try to lighten the mood after we got thrown off the train!” She grumbles crossing her arms.

“At least it seems we’re all right. I just hope the passengers will be okay.” Ren sighs as he looks up towards the mountain cliff at where the train tracks would be.

“I think they will. I didn’t spot any more Grimm from the top of the train, so it seems like they’re more interested in the lamp than the passengers.” Pyrrha said as she motions for everyone to follow her. “Let’s try to find a path and some place for shelter. We shouldn’t stay out in the cold for too long.”

Walking together, team PNNR would soon find a small trail that lead down through a small clearing in the forest. Looking at the compass, they would figure out that this path most likely leads towards Argus, or at least it’s general direction. As the four would continue down the path, Neo would look around and spot some small structures amongst the woods as well as noting a few markings. To her, this all feels very familiar to her. Ren notices Neo looking around and asks her. “Is everything okay Neo?”

She shakes her head as she looks back to the raven-haired man. “ **Yes everything is fine. It’s just… I feel like I’ve been here before.** ” she signs as she looks around once again.

Nora looks at Ren to which he tells her what Neo just said. She gives a small “Ah” as she thinks on what to say. “Well maybe you saw it in a dream? You know how dreams usually are, predicting the future and all that.” Nora suggests as she hugs closer to Ren to try to stay warm while the snowfall picked up, slowly becoming a blizzard.

Pyrrha shivers slightly from the cold but refused to let it bother her. “Maybe you’ve been in a snowy forest before. There are plenty of them around Remnant so perhaps you’re getting confused with one of them.” She says.

“ **No... it’s not that. It feels like… I know this place.** ” Neo signs as she looks around. A thought starts to cross her head as she starts to piece together where she is. She quickly dismisses the thought as it’s impossible for her to be there. It wasn’t near Argus, was it?

“Well I don’t know what else to tell-“ Pyrrha cuts herself off as she holds up her fist to get everyone to stop moving.

“What is it Pyrrha?” Ren asks as his hands slowly reach down for his weapons.

“Do you guys hear that?” She asks them.

The group would stand in silence as only the whistling of the wind blowing through the forest would surround them. “I don’t hear anythi-“ Nora suddenly gets cut off as she hears a loud squeaking coming from down the trail. “Is it a squeaking sound?” Nora asks Pyrrha, to which she nods her head.

“I hear it too, maybe we’re close to some kind of settlement.” Ren says as he starts to walk quickly down the trail.

Neo’s eyes widen in shock as she can’t deny the possibility any longer. She was stunned for a moment as Pyrrha and Nora run after Ren before she too started running after them. The four of them would soon find themselves in front of a large arch way, a red metal gate squeaking everytime it moved thanks to the wind. Neo’s worst dreams have come true. She’s back. She’s so lost in a sudden overflow of memories that she doesn’t notice the others talking amongst each other as they start to walk into what appears to be a small farming community.

Pyrrha notices Neo trailing behind and goes up to get her. She would call out to the woman only for Neo to remain motionless. The spartan gives the criminal a small shake of the shoulders, snapping Neo out of her trance as she stares into her pink and brown eyes. “Neo, is everything okay?” She asks.

Neo takes a deep sigh as she looks up towards the arch way. On the metal arch stood the letters “Brunswick Farms” in fading white paint. She returns her gaze towards Pyrrha, looking at her and signs. “ **I’m back home…** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wasn’t aware of the existence of Headmaster Theodore until the recent RWBY episode name dropped him. Then I learned that he was introduced in the books starring Team CFVY, which I myself have never read and only knew of their existence. It kinda makes all the planning I had for the headmaster of Shade Academy and her arc null, but then I remembered that this is my story and I’m free to do what I want with the lore. I will probably still have Theodore in the story, but he won’t be the headmaster, instead that going to Corvy Straw. Hopefully RWBY doesn’t throw anymore wrenches into my plans.


	10. Servant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.

The sounds of scratching echo throughout a small extravagant looking bathroom. It would be hard to believe that this room is actually just the bathroom and not some kind of dining area. However, if you’re a member of the Atlas elite, this is a normal sight for you to behold, appreciating the gold trimmings on the sinks, the mirror with beautiful engravings embedded into its frame and a smooth grey stone shower with a clear glass door. Even the toilet itself was sparkling clean with a golden handle to boot. However, it takes a lot of work to make a mere bathroom look this good and that’s why there’s a black-haired girl with auburn-colored eyes, kneeling down onto her hands and knees, using a thick brush to scrub the toilet. She kneels up for a brief moment to straighten out her aching back and wipe her forehead. She gives a small sigh, taking a brief break before getting back to work.

Unfortunately, the young girl’s break would be cut short when she hears the all too familiar sounds of girlish giggles. Turning around, the young servant would find two blonde girls with curled hair, wearing very expensive dresses as well as carrying a small tray of what appears to be jelly and toast. One of the two girls, who’s dress was green, takes a piece of toast and spreads jelly onto it with a silver knife. She bites into it, clearly enjoying the toast as she gives the young girl on the floor a devilish smile. “Mmmm this jelly toast is sooo good. It would be such a shame for me to drop this, wouldn’t you agree Adelle~” She laughs as the poor girl can only stare at the toast with a small glimmer in her eyes.

“I do agree Adenine, perhaps we should let Cinder here have a taste?” The twin sister suggests with a hoity laugh. Cinder’s eyes sparkle as she licks her lips. She can feel her stomach growling, begging for the food. Yet she can’t reach up and try to grab it. She’s powerless to try. If she were to try, the two twin sisters would scream for their mother and she would be punished for scaring them. Adelle looks down at Cinder and gives her a scoff, disgusted by how pathetic the poor girl was being all for something as simple as toast. “Do you want some toast you low life?” She asks, kneeling down and holding the piece of jelly toast in front of her face.

Cinder gives a small nod as she slowly reaches up for the toast. “Yes…” She utters softly, knowing that it’s best to not raise her voice against her superiors, despite the fact that they’re her stepsisters.

Adenine clicks her tongue as she looks at Cinder smugly. “Tsk tsk, that’s not the answer we’re looking for. What do you say when you want something?” She asks in a sing song voice.

Cinder hesitates for a moment before giving a sigh, bowing down to the twins as her forehead touches the floor of the bathroom. “Without you, I am nothing. So please, can I have some toast Adenine and Adelle?” Cinder begs, as she silently waits for their response.

Adelle gives a small sigh as she pulls Cinder up by her hair so that she’s looking at her blue eyes. Cinder gives a pained yelp as Adelle says, “Now that wasn’t so hard to say, was it?” With that, Adelle takes the piece of toast and throws it onto the white shiny tiled floor of the bathroom.

Without a moment of hesitation, Cinder quickly reaches for the toast and scarfs it down rapidly, this being her first full piece of food all day, besides the scraps that she eats from the dirty food trays that would be outside of the hotel rooms. As the black-haired servant eats the toast from the floor, not caring at all about how dirty it is now, Adenine gives a disgusted “ _Blegh_ ” as she watches Cinder eat the toast. “Such rude manners! Eating such a filthy thing from the floor! Don’t you know how many germs there are on the floors of a bathroom?” She asks mockingly, to which Cinder didn’t respond as she finished up her piece of toast.

“We should really wash her mouth Adenine. Mother would be so disappointed if our dear stepsister were to get sick and be unable to carry out her duties.” Adelle coos as she puts the tray onto the marble counter right next to the sink.

“I agree. Let’s clean it up for her to show that we truly care.” Adenine laughs as she and her sister grab Cinder by the shoulders lifting her up. Cinder tries to fight against the two but is unable to as they have a death grip on both of her arms. “Now now, no need to fight us, we’re just trying to help.” She lectures before pushing Cinder onto her knees so that she comes face to face with the toilet she was cleaning earlier. With a sinister laugh, Adenine pushes Cinder’s head into the toilet as the poor girl could only scream, trying to fight against the abuse she’s being forced to endure.

“Come on! Cooperate with us! We’re just trying to help you!” Adelle laughs as she holds Cinder’s arms and legs in place while Adenine keeps Cinder’s head submerged in the toilet water.

Adenine lifts Cinder’s face out from the toilet allowing her to breathe. The poor girl is panting heavily, trying to take in as much air as she could. Adenine would take one quick look at the girl before sighing. “Still not clean enough.” She pushes Cinder back into the toilet as the young servant screams even more in pain.

Cinder feels the water enter through her nose and mouth, running down into her lungs as she slowly starts to drown from having her head submerged. She tries so desperately to fight against it, but she’s not strong enough. She’s only one young girl, and she has two older sisters. One versus two is simply a battle that she can’t win. Giving in to her fate, Cinder’s eyes would start to close as she starts to feel tired all of a sudden. Her vision goes black before giving a small exhale of bubbles as she closes her eyes, hearing the laughter of her older stepsisters.

Suddenly, Cinder’s eye would burst wide open as she finds herself submerged in a clear pool. She gives a small, gargled scream, before looking up, finding the surface of the pool that she’s in. With haste, she quickly swims up towards the surface and once her head breaches the top, she takes a deep breath of air, looking around her surroundings and spotting a stone shore that she can climb onto to rest. She quickly swims over to the shore before crawling onto dry land and on to her hands and knees. She flops down on the cold stone floor and rolls onto her back, heaving heavily for as much air as she can get. Looking up she spots a large tree that feels all too familiar. Thinking for a brief moment she then remembers where she is. She’s in the vault that’s under Haven Academy. She was supposed to steal the relic of knowledge, but Raven defeated her in combat, freezing her in ice before she presumably stole the lamp. She reaches her left arm up towards the ceiling and finds the all too familiar sight of her Grimm arm, filling her with disgust. But this abomination helps fulfill her goal of getting more power, so that she can never be powerless again.

She rolls back onto her stomach and slowly gets up. She takes a look around to try to see if she can find anyway out. She tries to activate her maiden powers, but she’s too worn out to fully utilize them. She would then spot a small glimmer of light that came from a crack in a wall. Slowly limping towards it, she can hear the sounds of rain through the crack. Bawling up her Grimm fist, she starts to punch at the wall in an attempt to break it down. She lets out several roars before finally with one big punch, the wall crumbles down in front of her, creating a large hole. She climbs over the rubble and into the rain, taking a look at her surroundings. It would seem that she’s at the bottom of the mountain where the poor people of Mistral reside. She takes a few steps before wincing in pain and falling onto her knees.

Not too far away was a simple brown-haired woman, carrying a basket full of vegetables. She hears a loud noise coming from her left and goes to investigate it. Upon arriving she finds a large hole in the mountain side with an injured woman in a red dress laying down in front of it. “Oh my gosh!” She gasps before rushing over to help Cinder. “Are you okay? Here let me help you… up…” She trails off as she attempts to help Cinder before noticing the familiar black flesh and bone white claws of a Grimm. She would then realize that this Grimm arm was connected to Cinder as she slowly starts to stumble back. Cinder, starting to regain strength slowly stands up and gives the poor woman a glare with her one eye, the left side of her face being heavily scarred from the attack on Beacon a few months ago. “P-please… don’t hurt me!” She pleads as she stumbles back.

Cinder gives a small smile. “Give me your clothes and all your money. Now!” She demands, a ball of fire forming in her hand.

A few moments would pass as Cinder now finds herself wandering around the small run-down slums of Mistral. Unlike the beautiful city, the buildings here were made of old wood that looked like they could break at the slightest touch. Some buildings even had moss or mold forming on the wood. The woman from earlier is lucky that she was cooperative, giving Cinder her clothes and all of her Lien. She didn’t want to get her hands bloody on someone as insignificant as her. She has a brown hood concealing her face as white bandages cover up her Grimm arm. To any other person, she looks like an ordinary farm girl. A style that she does not want to have, but a style that she will have to deal with until she can find better clothes.

As she walks through the streets, she would hear a small news report coming from a small, cracked television screen. On it she spots profile pictures of Emerald, Mercury, Hazel, Adam and herself. The newscaster would appear besides these pictures as she adjusts her glasses. “Police are still looking for the whereabouts of Emerald Sustrani, Mercury Black, Hazel Rainart, Adam Taurus and Cinder Fall, the assailants from the attack of Haven Academy that occurred late last night. If you see any of these faces, please report them to the police immediately.” She says as she taps the small stack of paper on the desk she was sitting at.

Cinder raises her eyebrow as she listens to the news report. It’s interesting to know that it would appear her cohorts were able to get away. They can be useful to her whenever she reunites with Salem but for now, she needs to find some place to rest. Cinder would find an old run-down inn that only charged her one Lien to stay the night. Having no other better place to go and not wanting to draw attention, she would pay the fee and go to her room. Her room was old, dusty and in terrible condition. The table lamp flickered as the electric dust crystal that was powering it was wearing thin, and her bed was dusty with crusty bed sheets. By all means this is a terrible living condition, but it was far better from what she had when she was a child.

With a small grunt, Cinder lays down on top of her bed, trying to think on what to do now. She recalls hearing about a local crime circle based in Mistral that are very good at tracking down any people of interest. She remembers that she can find them by looking for a purple spider emblem. Once she finds them, all she needs to do is talk with Little Miss and ask about the whereabouts of Ruby and her team. As much as she wants to get revenge on Ruby for what she did to her at Beacon, her silver eyes will be a major obstacle. Perhaps the best form of revenge is to kill someone dear to her. She seems to be pretty close with Pyrrha, so killing her in front of Ruby will be perfect. Killing Pyrrha will also prove her point to the red headed girl that destiny can not be changed and that it will always favor it’s original course. Two birds with one stone. With a solid plan in her mind, she slowly lets herself drift to sleep, imagining the scenario of turning Pyrrha into embers in front of a helpless Ruby.

The next day would find Cinder roaming around the slums of Mistral once more, keeping an eye out for any purple spider emblems. As she walks around, she would spot a tiny emblem on the support beam to a patio. Tracing her eyes over, she finds that the patio is connected to a bar. “Figures.” Cinder huffs, knowing how typical it is for crime syndicates to hang around a bar. Afterall, that is how she met Roman Torchwick. She enters the bar and finds various patrons enjoying a morning pint of beer. While some people enjoy milk, coffee or orange juice for their morning drink, the people in this bar always choose to greet the morning with their preferred liquor of choice. As Cinder walks into the bar, she notices a few patrons staring her down, giving the woman a glare. She should try to be careful, for even despite her maiden powers, she’s still one person going against a group of at least twenty armed men and women.

At the back of the building, Cinder would spot a larger blonde woman, clad in fine purple clothes that people living in the slums could only dream of having. Next to her were two bodyguards, helping the woman prepare some tea. This woman is no doubt Little Miss Malachite, the leader of this crime organization. As Cinder approaches the table they were at, the two bodyguards take out small handguns and point them at Cinder, while Malachite held up her hand. “Now that’s far enough sugarcube.” She speaks in a thick southern accent. “You should know that it’s best not to approach me empty handed.”

Cinder gives a small eye roll as she takes out a large sack of Lien and throws it onto the table in front of Malachite. The bag tips over as several Lien fall out near Malachite’s tea cup. She snaps her fingers and have the two bodyguards dig through the bag before they give her a nod. “Now we’re talking. Is this your life savings sweet pea?” She asks with a smile, taking a sip of her tea as she motions for Cinder to sit down.

“It was someone’s.” Cinder says coldly as she takes a seat.

“Heh, so it was. Now how can I help you?” Malachite asks.

Cinder takes out her scroll and brings up a picture of Team RWBY and Team JNPR, along with a picture of Qrow and Neo. “I’m looking for these people. They’re traveling together in a group and I need to know where they are. You can help me with that, right?” Cinder asks, showing Malachite the pictures.

The crime boss rubs her chin as she looks at the picture. She looks up at Cinder and gives a smile. “Give us a week and we will tell you where they are. Can’t do any sooner due to the state of the world right now.” Malachite says, sliding Cinder’s scroll back to the one-eyed woman.

“One week… I have nothing better to do until then. But how can you be so sure that you can find them?” Cinder says, looking at Malachite with slight curiosity. Perhaps she could be a good servant of her if need be.

“Heh, well I have a giant web expanding all over Mistral. A web that I made myself. I know everything that goes on in my web, just like how a spider knows when it’s prey gets trapped in it’s web.” Malachite says as she takes a small sip of her tea.

“Why do you like spiders so much?”

“Oh honey, I absolutely despise them. I used to be scared of them. But as I grew up, I learned something. Get the spiders to work for me and I won’t have to fear them anymore. I’m certain that you can understand.” Malachite says with a smug smile causing Cinder to give a small sigh before turning around to leave.

One of the bodyguards near Malachite leans down and whispers to Malachite. “But Little Miss, we already know where those children are. That big guy from yesterday asked us.”

“Oh, I know, but it’s not everyday that we get both a customer and a target all in one person.” She tells her guard, sipping her tea before placing it back on the small plate that it was on.

A week would pass, though for Cinder it would feel like a month. Time slowed to a crawl for her as she was left to do nothing but stay in that run down room for her entire stay in Mistral. She couldn’t afford to go out all the time or else she would run the risk of getting recognized and that could spell disaster. Thankfully, now that the waiting is done, she can try to track down Ruby and her friends to try to steal the relic back in order for her to please Salem.

As Cinder would walk into the somewhat familiar bar, she finds Little Miss Malachite having her morning tea once again. The crime boss notices Cinder entering and motions for her to take a seat. “You’re certainly an early riser aren’t you sweet pea?” She asks.

“Just tell me what you know. I’m only here to get business done, not talk.” Cinder says briskly, wanting to get this over with.

“Now now, no need to rush things, you have to have some enjoyment with your business.” The older woman says with a smile while Cinder gives a small groan. “But I do have several things to tell you. The group that you’re looking for are boarding the Argus Express and are planning to split up. One group is going to Atlas and the other will be going to Vacuo.”

“Atlas and Vacuo…” Cinder trails off as she thinks to herself. She remembers Salem having plans on attacking Vacuo after Mistral, though she also recalls Salem bringing up the idea of splitting her forces, having one half go to Vacuo and the other half going to Atlas in an attempt to hurry things along and spread more fear across humans. Atlas is the most secure of the two, so it would make sense that the group that’s going there would be taking the relic of knowledge with them. However, the fact that it’s going to Atlas is a challenge in of itself. She won’t be able to take on the entire Atleasian Military and their high tech. As much as she would hate to admit it, this is an area that’s better suited for Watts to go to. Vacuo is less technologically advanced so it could prove to be an easier time for Cinder to go over and try to find the Summer Maiden, take her powers, grab the relic and kill the group that went to Vacuo. With the sword of destruction in her hands, she can then fly over to Atlas and help Watts with his mission over there, leaving only the crown of choice as the last relic to find. “Vacuo it is.” She says to herself as she sits up from the chair and turns around to leave.

Malachite gives a small laugh as she watches Cinder leave. “You know, it isn’t everyday that one customer gives me twice the business, Cinder Fall.” She says, causing the Fall Maiden to freeze in place.

Cinder slowly turns around and gives Malachite a stunned stare. “How did you…” She trailed off before she heard the creaking of wooden planks above her, followed by the screeching sound of metal rubbing against metal. When she turns around and looks up, she would find a face she would never expect to see again. There standing on the railing of a balcony stood a spikey red-haired man, dressed in black with a large red rose insignia embroidered onto his jacket. He had two large black bull horns growing out of his head and his eyes were covered by a single black cloth. This man is none other than Adam Taurus, the leader of the White Fang. “Adam? What the hell are you doing here?” She asks, taking a small step back.

Adam gives a small growl as he glares down at Cinder. “You’ve taken everything from me! You forced me and the White Fang to join you and now after Mistral, I’ve lost everything! I’ve been exiled from the White Fang; Blake has left me forever and now all the hope that the Faunus have of ever rising to the top is all gone thanks to you!” He growls to Cinder as he draws out his crimson red sword, Wilt from its scabbard, Blush. “The one last thing that I have left is my desire to spill your blood on the floor. I will not let you take that from me!” He shouts before jumping off of the balcony, diving towards Cinder to try to stab her in the chest. Cinder is able to dodge out of the way in time only to have to avoid an immediate horizontal slash from Wilt.

Malachite watches the fight start, whispering to one of her bodyguards with a chuckle “Good thing we don’t have the fine china out right now.”

Adam forces Cinder to go on the defensive as he swings his blade around wildly, yet with precision to try to kill the woman that ruined his life. Cinder dodges each blow quickly and expertly, trying to find an opening to allow her to make a glass sword so that she can better defend herself. It’s not worth using her maiden powers on someone’s petty revenge. Now that she thinks about it, a lot of people want her head. Pyrrha, Neo, Raven and now Adam. She’s not really good at making friends. As she ducks beneath another horizontal slash, she sweeps Adam’s legs, causing the Faunus to jump to avoid the sweep, opening himself up for Cinder to punch him in the gut, causing him to be sent flying into a table before quickly catching his footing. Cinder quickly forms a sword out of glass and twirls it around in her hand before pointing it at Adam. “I don’t have time for your petty revenge plot. You were just a means to the end, and you have far outlived your usefulness.” Cinder says coldly, causing Adam to give a snarl at the statement.

With a roar, Adam quickly swings his blade in the air, creating slashes of red energy that flies towards Cinder before taking his scabbard off of his belt and using it like a rifle to try to shoot at Cinder while she’s distracted. Unfortunately for him, Cinder was able to slice through the energy slashes and dodge the bullets from Blush, before rushing in to clash blades with Adam. The man is able to hold off Cinder’s attack with one hand before hitting Cinder in the side of her stomach with Blush, causing the Fall Maiden to give a small grunt before being kicked away by Adam.

Cinder uses the momentum from the kick to jump up on top of the bar, quickly creating a bow and arrow out of glass. She knocks an arrow in the bow and fires it towards Adam, who simply slices it in half with his blade. This doesn’t deter Cinder however as she quickly makes more arrows and fires them in rapid succession, forcing Adam to either dodge or reflect them with his blade, less he wants to get pierced by them.

He gives a small grunt as one arrow grazes his cheek, leaving a small scratch that got quickly healed up by his aura. His hair and sword would soon start to glow red as his entire body grows as black as midnight. He rushes in towards Cinder, creating various clones of himself to dash ahead of himself and slice the glass arrows before disappearing. He starts to quickly close the distance as he delivers a vertical chop towards Cinder, who blocks the strike her bow of glass. However, she failed to realize that this was simply an afterimage of the Bull Faunus as Adam is directly behind her, prepared to stab the Fall Maiden through her stomach.

Cinder was able to quickly sidestep away from the stab, Adam’s blade grazing her stomach before she throws her Grimm arm towards Adam’s face. She grabs Adam by the head, her claws piercing his skin as Cinder lifts him up and throws him into another table, right near some of the patrons of the bar.

Adam quickly gets up to his feet as he scoffs at her. “So it is true that you’re part Grimm. I pity you. Not even humans deserve to become primal monsters like the Grimm.” Adam says softly as he puts Wilt back into its scabbard, ready to end it here and now.

However, his moment would be cut short as from across the bar, Adam and Cinder would hear a loud yell that’s followed by the clicking of guns. “Now that’s enough you two!” Turning their attention towards the source of the voice, they would find Little Miss Malachite, standing up from her seat and pointing a large handgun at the two of them, as well as weapons from various other members of the gang pointed at them. “Now I love a good meal and a show but, I think it’s time you two take this outside.”

Knowing that they’re both outnumbered, Cinder quickly propels herself towards the balcony and out the window, shattering it as she lands on the ground. Adam quickly follows Cinder, jumping out from the window too, blade pulled out and pointed towards the ground in an attempt to stab his blade into Cinder’s stomach. She quickly rolls out of the way as his blade pierces into the earth, getting stuck. He tries to remove it but is forced to abandon it for a moment as Cinder rushes in towards Adam with two glass daggers. He blocks one of Cinder’s daggers with Blush before getting slashed in his chest by the other dagger. Adam let’s out a grunt of pain before headbutting Cinder in the face, his horns piercing into her forehead as she stumbles back. The force from the headbutt causes the black strip of cloth covering his eyes to come loose. Adam tears it off and throws it to the side, revealing one blue eye and a large brand burned over his other eye, causing the whites of his eye to be blood red while his iris is pure white. The brand had the initials of SDC, meaning Schnee Dust Company. Cinder sees this and gives a small scoff, not really caring for the reveal.

Adam is able to pull his blade out from the earth and sheathes it as he sees Cinder starting to charge up fire in her hands. With a roar, Cinder fires multiple fireballs towards Adam, followed by one large fireball that would cover her movement so that she can move directly behind it. Adam gives a confident smirk as he pulls his blade out slightly from its sheath, the blade itself glowing red as the Faunus uses it to block and absorb the fireballs. When he absorbs the energy of the large fireball, he’s able to block another blow from Cinder who held a giant two-handed glass sword. The kinetic energy from the strike is absorbed by the blade as well, causing Adam to gain a massive power boost.

Adam is now confident that thanks to all the power he absorbed, he can now easily overwhelm Cinder and finally get his revenge. He quickly pushes Cinder away with a kick, causing her to fly into the side of an abandoned building, creating a small crater in it. Adam pushes his blade back into his sheathe before pointing it towards Cinder. He pulls the trigger and fires Wilt from Blush, causing the pommel to hit Cinder directly in the nose and bounce back towards Adam. As he rushes towards Cinder, Adam catches Wilt with one hand as he starts to glow bright red once more. When he gets close to Cinder, he unleashes a flurry of rapid slashes that go faster than the eye could see as the blade cuts the air itself.

When Cinder saw Adam running towards her, she feels time slow for a moment as she makes a glass sword form in her hand. She’s able to react and parry each and every single strike that Adam delivered. While some of his strikes sliced through her glass sword, it would be quickly replaced by another sword in her other hand to block the strike. Time would soon resume back to normal for Cinder as she’s in a blade lock against Adam. The building behind her starts to crumble and fall apart as the rapid blows from Adam’s attack sends shockwaves that destroyed the building. Cinder smiles as she sees the look of shock on Adam’s face. “I’m far stronger since the last time we fought together on the attack at Beacon. I can tell that you are too. But it’s not enough to over come me.” Cinder comments before pushing Adam away, her eye emitting an amber flame. She floats up into the air as she finally decides it’s time to activate her maiden powers. He’s proven to be a worthy enough foe to use them against, plus it’ll be all the sweeter to rub in the fact that he was no where near close to defeating her.

Adam is stunned, how could she have not only blocked all of his attacks but also still be full of strength that he has never seen before?! Despite the fact that Cinder is floating above him, lightning striking the ground around her, he gives the woman a glare as his grip tightens on Wilt. “I will keep on fighting, even if it kills me! I don’t care about my life anymore! It means nothing to me knowing that the Faunus will never be able to achieve true freedom and rule above humans!” He shouts with determination as he closes his eyes and crouches down to his knees, ready to pull Wilt out from Blush. The area around them grows bright red as Adam and Cinder glow black. Black rose petals fall through the sky as time freezes for a split second. With a bright flash of light, Adam quickly pulls out Wilt in one continuous slash, flying towards Cinder to try to slice her head off.

Adam opens his eyes only to see that his blade was simply caught by Cinder’s hand, the Fall Maiden holding it with a strong grip. She was bleeding from the palm of her hand but she didn’t seem to be bothered by that fact. “I-impossible…” He utters as he finally realizes how futile his efforts really are. If his strongest attack is only good enough to make a small cut on the woman than there’s no hope for him to win this. He can’t get his revenge. His life has no purpose anymore.

“Now you’re learning. I am the impossible!” Cinder shouts as she fires a bolt of lightning towards Adam’s chest, causing the Faunus to roar in pain before falling to the ground, Wilt clanging onto the earth right beside him. Cinder lowers herself to the floor as she creates a sword made of glass, ready to end his life when a thought comes across her mind. The strength he displayed still has it’s use. Killing him would be a big waste of a potential asset that can help her in Vacuo. “I was going to kill you, but you still have some use left in you. Let’s make a deal.” Cinder coos with a smirk as she gives the Faunus an evil smile.

Adam gives a small grunt as he grabs Wilt with one of his hands. “I would rather die before I make a deal with you again! You were the worst thing that’s ever happened to me!” Adam roars as he turns the point of his sword towards his chest, ready to stab himself.

“If you kill yourself, the Faunus will not only remain at the bottom of society, but I will see to it that they go extinct like the worthless animals they are.” Cinder warns as her evil smirk grows in size. Cinder’s words causes Adam to stop as he looks at her wide eyed. She can’t kill all the Faunus, it’s impossible! Yet… with all that power she has and with Salem by her side… then they can accomplish the impossible. Cinder smiles as she sees Adam come to this realization. “That’s right my dear Adam. This is a deal that you can’t refuse. If you die, so do the Faunus and I’ll make sure that your precious Blake is the last one to die. I will see to it that she suffers the most. Perhaps I’ll rip her ears off one by one, or maybe I’ll see if the myth that cats always land on their feet is true.” Cinder laughs evilly as she steps towards Adam.

Hearing what Cinder wants to do to Blake was the straw that broke the camels back. While he knows that she doesn’t love him anymore, there’s still a part of him that still cares about her heavily and knowing that if he were to be selfish and kill himself, she would suffer more than any Faunus has ever suffered, it’s something that he can’t rest with. “You can’t…” He utters softly, his spirit breaking as he tries to figure out something he can do. But there’s nothing. He can’t do anything.

“Oh, but I can, and I will. You said it yourself, your life has no meaning anymore, but you still have the strength to be useful to me.” Cinder taunts as she steps on Adam’s chest, pinning him down. “Without me, you’re nothing.” She hisses, hammering the thought into Adam’s head.

Adam tries to fight against Cinder’s words, trying to fight against being a slave like all the Faunus before him were. He’s the leader of the White Fang! He can’t let himself become a slave to a human! Yet… the White Fang has exiled him; he’s lost to Cinder and is now in a position where he can’t afford to refuse. Adam’s eyes tremble as his hand lets go of Wilt. “I’m…” He trails off, trying to say that he’s still something! But he would be lying to himself and hiding away from the truth. He really is nothing and Cinder made that clear to him. By working underneath, her, he can be something once again, even if it pains him to serve under a human, especially a bitch like Cinder, he can rest easy knowing that the Faunus may still have a chance to rise above humans. “Without you… I’m nothing…” He utters softly, his mind having finally broken.

Cinder smiles as she steps off of Adam, helping him up onto his feet. “That’s a good pet. I’ll make sure to treat you well as long as you help me with what I want.” Cinder coos, ruffling his hair before creating a small collar out of glass. She puts it onto Adam as a sign that he belongs to her now. “Now come my pet. You have a ship to steal so that we can fly to Vacuo.” She purrs as she yanks Adam by the collar to follow her.

Adam’s eyes fall to the floor as Cinder leads him away. This is his life now. This is his purpose. To be a slave to the Fall Maiden so that he can protect the Faunuses from certain death. The once prideful leader of the White Fang, the man that the Faunus once loved is now nothing more than an empty shell of his former self and not even death will change that.


	11. Apathy

In a large brick house in Argus, there would be a young girl with brown hair and lovely brown eyes, sitting on her bright pink bed in a pink nightgown. She has her knees hugged up to her chest as she looks at the wall across from her. The pastel pink wall was adorned with posters of ice cream, candy and various other sweets, something that this girl enjoyed a lot. However, they’re not cheering her up this time. She’s all alone right now. She was supposed to go see a movie with some kids from school and they said they would call her when they were going to leave, but it’s been five hours since the planned time and not a single call from them. She knows she wasn’t forgotten because it’s hard to forget someone like her. No, she knows that she was abandoned. Abandoned because she is different from the other kids. While most girls are able to sing lovely songs, whisper gossip about the cute boy in class to each other or talk on the phone for hours on end, the girl never had the ability to talk. Any time she would try, all that would come out is a scratchy sound that doesn’t resemble anything close to a language. And, since she can’t talk, she’s not normal to the other kids and often gets ignored or bullied because of this difference. She feels so alone in her life, that not even her parents or siblings are enough to give her that spark that allows her to enjoy her life. The poor girl’s parents are always so busy coming up with ways to try to improve themselves that they sometimes forget about their daughter due to how quiet she is, which is of no fault of her own, and her siblings are always hanging out with their friends or studying for school, so they never have time to play with her like they used to. She knows that they love her but, with how much they work, she has a hard time believing it some days. The girl looks to her side and spots her favorite teddy bear, she picks it up and hugs it tightly. “ _I know you would never abandon me Beary._ ” She thought to herself, imagining that the stuffed animal can read her thoughts.

As the young girl hugs her stuffed animal, she would hear a deep masculine voice call out for her. “Emily! We’re home! Can you come here please?” Shouts what can be assumed to be Emily’s father. With a small sigh, Emily hops off of her bed, and leaves her room, walking down the stairs to meet her father. At the main hall, Emily spots her father and her mother, though she also spots three other people she doesn’t recognize. A tall ginger-haired man dressed in a more laid-back style, a brown-haired woman who is similarly dressed and a ginger-haired boy that seems to be about her age, maybe a few years older. Emily’s dad gives his daughter a smile while her mother goes up to her and fixes her hair in an attempt to make Emily look more presentable in front of the guests. “Emily, your mother and I have some people that we would like you to meet.” He says with a smile.

The tall ginger man takes a few steps forward and kneels down to Emily, giving her a big toothy grin. “So, yer Emily huh? Well, you can call me Darren Candlewick, this is my wife Amelia and my son Romeo.” Darren introduces himself and his family. Emily puts down Beary onto the floor and starts to move her hands, however, Darren nor Amelia seem to be understanding.

Romeo then tugs on his father’s shirt and says “Emily is saying that she’s happy to meet you. My teacher helped me learn sign language at school!” He exclaims proudly, puffing his chest up.

At that moment, Emily’s eyes sparkle as she looks at Romeo. Someone who is her age and is able to understand sign language? And that person is a cute boy too! Emily feels her heart skip a beat as Romeo looks at her softly, their eyes connecting before he looks away, a blush forming on his cheeks. She feels the darkness in her life go away as this young boy ignites her flame. For the longest time, Emily gives a genuine smile which doesn’t go unnoticed by her father. “I had no idea that your boy knew sign language.” He chuckles softly.

“Well, I didn’t either to be honest. But hey, I know how much you said that you worry about your daughter Bartleby, so I’m glad that Romeo and Emily seem to be getting along already!” He says happily.

“Yes, I am too. Now Emily, why not you go show Romeo your playroom and all your toys. I’m certain he would love to play some games with you. Darren and I have some business to discuss, mainly about the project.” Bartleby says softly, ruffling Emily’s brown head.

Emily gives a nod and starts going up the stairs. “ **Come on! I have Chutes and Ladders!** ” She signs excitedly.

Romeo stumbles around on his feet, a bit nervous about interacting with this cute girl, as well as being excited to play Chutes and Ladders, one of his personal favorite games. “I’m coming, Emily!” He says as he chases after his new friend up the stairs.

Neo would be taken out of her small trance by the creaking sounds of the red metal gate that stood underneath the large gateway for Brunswick farms. She shakes her head and runs after the rest of team PNNR who are making their way towards a large blue ranch house. In front of the large house was a stone well, or at least what can be assumed to be a well, the intense snowstorm didn’t make things any easier to find. The wind screams behind them as the snow flies through the door before getting cut silent by the slamming of the wooden door. The sound of wood running against wood echoes throughout the home as Pyrrha pushes a large drawer in front of the door, preventing the wind from being able to open it. “There. This should be a good enough place to keep us warm for the night.” Pyrrha says as she looks over to Neo. “Now what did you mean that you’re back home?” Pyrrha asks.

However, Neo would be silent as she spots something that catches her interest. By a set of stairs that would lead to the second story of the house, hanging on the faded blue wall was a large picture. In the picture were several groups of people, seemingly to be families. They stood in front of the large gateway towards Brunswick Farms. Two figures that caught Neo’s attention was a young brown-haired girl with lovely brown eyes and a young ginger-haired boy with green eyes. She gives a longing sigh as she runs her fingers over them. Neo would suddenly feel a small pat on her shoulder, turning around and seeing Pyrrha, Ren and Nora looking at her with concern.

“Is everything alright Neo?” Nora asks softly.

Neo gives a soft sigh as she motions for everyone to get closer to her. She has no reason to hide her identity now that they’re here, besides she’s a different person now. When her friends got closer, she would point towards the portrait that she was looking at earlier. They take a look at it and observe it. “That’s a nice-looking family. I’m guessing they’re the owners of this property?” Pyrrha asks aloud.

Neo nods her head and starts to sign. “ **That’s my family. That little girl that’s in the middle is me when I was about twelve years old. That ginger boy close to me is actually Roman when he was about fourteen years old.** ”

Ren gives a soft nod and translates what Neo said to Nora who gives a loud gasp. “That cutie is you! You looked so cute! Not saying that you’re not cute right now, which you are.” Nora rambles excitedly before Ren places a hand on her shoulder to get her to calm down, causing Neo to crack a small smile.

Pyrrha gives a small hum. “So that’s your family and friends I assume. Then I wonder where they are and why they abandoned this place?” Pyrrha ponders before looking at Neo, expecting her to have some answers.

“ **Don’t look at me. I left this place with just Roman, no one else.** ” She signs.

“But why did you and Roman leave?” Ren asks.

“ **I have no idea. One night he just said that we need to leave now before it’s too late. I initially didn’t want to go at first because I was so tired, but he managed to drag me away. Ever since then, Roman and I have been living for ourselves and took to a life of crime to be able to achieve our dreams. He always commented on how we will show my dad that you must be willing to steal in order to survive.** ” She explained with a longing sigh, remembering her early days with her dum-dum.

“And you never heard from or about your parents at all?”

“ **None whatsoever. Not that I really mind to be honest. I used to have a lot of respect for them until we moved to this farm when I hardly had any time to myself from how much they overworked my siblings and me, as well as themselves. The times I did had to myself I was usually locked in my room because Roman was too busy with his chores too. But when we both had time to ourselves, it was the happiest times I’ve ever had. In fact, it’s how I was able to discover my semblance.”** Neo signs as she recalls that fateful day.

Pyrrha gives a small sigh as she can relate somewhat to the feeling of being overworked, though it was more of on her own accord than her parents. “Well, perhaps your family left the place, considering how this place looks abandoned. Right now, let’s try to find some bedrooms, firewood, and food. It’s going to be a long night so we will need to stay as warm as we possibly can.” Pyrrha orders her team. With a nod, all four go their own ways with Nora heading up the stairs, Ren going into the lounge with Neo to see if there was still some firewood inside that they could use, and Pyrrha heading to the right to try to find some food.

It wouldn’t be long into their goals until they hear a loud scream coming from upstairs. “Nora?!” Ren shouts in urgency, pushing past Neo to run up the stairs to check on his childhood friend. Neo and Pyrrha follow after Ren, having heard Nora’s scream. “Nora! What’s wrong?!” Ren calls out as he barges into the room that Nora was in, freezing to a stop as he sees what Nora screamed at. His eyes widen at the sight as before him and Nora, laying down on a large king-sized bed were two wilting corpses, the harsh cold weather having done a very good job at preserving their bodies. Nora clings onto Ren tightly, still startled by the discovery.

Pyrrha and Neo soon enter the room and Pyrrha stares at the corpses before looking at Neo, noticing her eyes widen in shock before she gives a small sigh. “Neo…” Pyrrha utters softly as she watches Neo walk closer up to the bodies of her parents.

Neo looks down at them, a small tear forming in the corner of her eyes as she shakes her head. “ _You fools…_ ” she thinks to herself before taking the bed sheets and pulling them up over their heads.

Nora holds out her hand for Neo to take. “Neo… I’m… I’m so sorry…” She says softly, feeling guilty for screaming at the discovery.

Neo gives a soft sigh and looks at her friends. “ **This didn’t really surprise me. A part in the back of my mind always knew that they were dead, but this just confirms it. Before Roman and I left, I recall my parents getting into arguments with each other about running low on food supplies and that we weren’t going to make the winter. Then Roman would tell me about how he and my father would encounter upon a carriage full of food that could’ve gotten us through the winter. He would want to steal it so that we could survive only for my dad to tell him no, saying that we must keep our morals during tragedy.** ” Neo signs before pushing her and her friends out of the room, closing the door.

“And so that’s why you and Roman left the farm. In an attempt to try to survive the winter that your family wouldn’t.” Ren comments as he connects the dots.

“ **Yeah… but it’s all in the past now. I shouldn’t let this weigh me down. Let’s just go try to prepare ourselves for the night.** ” Neo states before heading back downstairs.

Nora, Ren and Pyrrha all look at each other with concern on their faces before Pyrrha pushes past the two of them. “Ren go try to find some blankets that we can use, Nora you go look for firewood. I’m going to check on the other houses.” Pyrrha says before going down the stairs. She passes through the entry way of the living room and spots Neo sitting on an armchair as she looks at the wall. Pyrrha thinks to herself as she wonders what she should say to her friend. “Neo… I’m going to check on the other houses… do you want to come with me?” She asks, only for Neo to nod her head no. Pyrrha looks down to the floor for a moment before sighing and pushing away the drawer that was blocking the door and going outside back into the cold.

When Pyrrha would go outside and into the freezing blizzard, she feels the wind bite her skin as she trudges through the snow. She spots a smaller house that’s right next to a large shed of some kind. With a small shiver she busts down the wooden door and looks around the house. As she expected, she found the dead bodies of another couple, in their beds looking like they died in their sleep. She clicks her tongue and pulls the blanket over their heads out of respect before leaving the house. Pyrrha would then go into the large shed that’s next to the house to see if there’s something that they can hijack to take them to Argus faster. To her surprise, she would find a large tractor with a small trailer to the side. It won’t be fast, but it’ll be faster than walking. Pyrrha thinks about trying to turn the tractor on to see if it still works but decides not to as she just wants to get back with everyone else and go to sleep. So Pyrrha would leave the shed and start heading back to the ranch house. Through the intense blizzard, Pyrrha would spot another house. In the back of her mind, she knows that she should check on it to see if by some chance there’s a survivor there but she’s feeling so tired right now that she decides to ignore it, believing that whoever is in that house must have met the same fate.

A few moments would pass as Ren comes back downstairs and into the living room with a bundle of blankets and several pillows, dropping them onto the floor before giving a big yawn. “I’m feeling so tired all of a sudden.” He states to Nora who has just finished lighting a fire in the fireplace.

Nora rubs her hands together and holds them in front of the fire. “Well, we’ve been in the cold for who knows how long, so that’s probably why. Come next to the fire, perhaps that will help.” Nora says, patting a space next to her so that Ren can sit down. He gives a small nod and sits next to the ginger-haired girl, who rests her head on his shoulder.

Hearing Ren say that he’s getting tired causes some old memories to stir in Neo’s head. She would recall the time when Winter was approaching, and she would run around her house asking to see if anyone could play with her. “ **Papa! Can we play a game?** ” She signs excitedly with a big smile on her face.

Her father puts down a book that he was writing in and looks towards his daughter. “Not right now Emily, I’m really tired right now and I just want to finish this journal before I go take a nap.” He says groggily before picking his book back up.

Emily gives a small grumble as she walks away and finds her mother carrying a large crate of canned food. “ **Mommy! Can we play a game?** ” She signs once again.

“Not right now sweetie… I have to put this in the basement and go take a nap. Just picking this up and carrying it is making me feel really tired.” She says with a groan.

“ **But you just took a nap not too long ago…** ”

“I know sweetie but with everything going on… I just need to try to take my mind off of somethings.” She sighs before walking off towards the basement.

Neo would be taken out of her flashback when she hears the door to the house open then close. Turning her head, she spots Pyrrha pushing the drawer back in front of the door. Pyrrha enters the living room and gives a small yawn. “All the houses were the same. In their beds having died in their sleep.” Pyrrha says. “Fortunately, I was able to find a tractor and a trailer in a shed so hopefully we can use that to get out of here tomorrow morning.”

“Well, that’s good. I would really hate to do anymore walking.” Nora says softly as she enjoys the warmth that Ren and the fireplace is providing her.

“We just need food, and we can call it a night.” Ren says softly before giving another yawn.

Neo gets up from the chair and walks towards Pyrrha, giving her a look that she would like to have a small talk. Pyrrha nods her head as she looks over to Ren and Nora. “Neo and I will go look for some food, you two just rest up.”

“Thanks, Pyrr.” Nora says, waving her hand in the air lazily before hugging Ren tightly.

Soon the two women would head off into the other side of the house to look for some food. As they walked, Pyrrha would look over to Neo and asks. “Do you want to talk about what we found?”

Neo nods her head and starts to sign. “ **I knew that they were more than likely dead, and I accepted that fact long ago but… seeing their bodies… it still hurt for some reason.** ”

“It’s probably because you still cared about them. They were your family.” Pyrrha suggests softly.

“ **I know that but… I started viewing them in a negative light before I left the farm. So, I have no idea why I feel so… remorseful.** ” She signs as her and Pyrrha walk pass a bar that none of them have any use for and find a small stone storage room, taking out their scrolls to use for a flashlight.

Pyrrha takes a small breath and brings Neo in closer, catching the small woman by surprise. “I’m not an expert in emotions, that would be Ren but, if I can give my two cents, I think it’s because that this isn’t how you wanted them to die. While you accepted the fact that they most likely may be dead, you didn’t know how they died. Now that you do, you’re crushed with the fact that they seemed to have an uneasy death which is what’s making you feel this way.” Pyrrha says softly.

Neo would nod her head before wrapping her arms around Pyrrha’s chest, hugging the spartan. This action catches Pyrrha by surprise before she gently returns the hug, rubbing her back softly as she rests her chin on top of Neo’s head. Neo gives a few quite sobs as she squeezes tighter onto Pyrrha. She knew that her family could’ve survived. It was so easy for them to have been able to! Yet they’re still dead. They failed in their goal of surviving on their own. If they only just stole from that carriage, then they would still be alive.

A few moments would pass as the two girls hug in silence, hugging longer than either of them would like to admit. They feel so warm from this freezing cold, so warm that it’s making Pyrrha feel even sleepier, almost as if she could just fall asleep in Neo’s arms. However, remembering the massive size difference between the two prevents Pyrrha from doing so as she finally separates from the hug. “Are you feeling better?” She asks.

Neo nods her head as she looks up at Pyrrha softly. “ **I am. Thank you, Pyrrha. I’m… so happy that I was able to meet you.** ” Neo signs with a gentle smile on her face. She takes a quick glance around the room and gives a happy gasp as she spots a shelf that’s full of canned food. She quickly skips over to the shelf and finds various canned food from vegetables, fruit, salmon, and pudding. Neo picks up a can of pudding and tosses it around in her hand with a smile before placing it back on the shelf. “ **I claim all of the pudding.** ” She signs with a smirk.

Pyrrha gives a small chuckle as she starts to take several handfuls of the canned food. “You’ll have to fight with Nora over them. She loves her sweets too.”

“ **Oh, I will. I won’t show her any mercy. No one comes in between me and my sweets!** ” Neo signs with an evil grin, causing Pyrrha to give another small chuckle.

“Just as long as you don’t kill her, you two have fun.” Pyrrha says as she takes more food and starts to leave with Neo, the two women carrying arms full of canned food. Soon the group would return to the living room and find Ren and Nora exactly where they were, seeming to have fallen asleep. Pyrrha gives a small shout to get their attention, causing the two of them to wake up with a startled gasp. “We found some food. There’s enough for all of us.” Pyrrha says as she gives the two of them some food. “Also, Neo claims all of the pudding.” Pyrrha smirks, expecting Nora to give a complaint.

“Huh? She did? Well, that’s fine, I guess. I kinda wasn’t in the mood for pudding anyways.” Nora yawns before taking a can of peaches that Pyrrha gave her. She stares at it for a moment before giving it to Ren for him to open. He gives a small groan as he takes out his weapon and opens the can so that Nora can eat the peaches.

Pyrrha raises her eyebrow, a bit surprised by Nora not wanting pudding of all things. “Nora, are you feeling alright? You normally would be jumping at the opportunity to have pudding.” Pyrrha asks as she sits down on the sofa right next to Neo to eat her portion of the food.

“Yeah, I’m just tired and not really in the mood for pudding.” Nora says with a yawn as she grabs a slice of peach from the can. Pyrrha gives a small shrug, respecting Nora’s reasoning and not questioning it.

While Neo hasn’t known Nora for super long, she knows that this isn’t right. Normally, Nora would have her eyes sparkling with excitement at even just the mention of pudding, but she casually dismissed it and said that she’s tired. In fact, everyone appears to be tired, except for her. If anyone is to be tired, it should be her because she loves to be lazy when she has the chance to be. This isn’t making any sense and Neo starts to wonder what is going on.

When everyone was finished with their food, the group gives a small stretch and a yawn. “Let’s wake up first thing in the morning and leave. We shouldn’t stay any longer than we should.” Pyrrha says.

“Yeah yeah… okay.” Ren groans before laying down on the floor, resting his head on the pillow. “Just wake me up when it’s time.” He yawns.

Nora lays down next to him, resting her head on his chest. “It’s getting so warm and cozy in here, I almost don’t want to leave.” She yawns before smacking her lips. “But just wake us up when it’s time to leave.”

Pyrrha gives a small nod, not seeing anything out of the ordinary of how the two reacted. She gets off of the sofa so that Neo can sleep on it before hearing a small cough. Turning around she spots Neo, who has put her hat on the coffee table. Pyrrha tilts her head softly and looks at the mute. “Yes?”

Neo taps her fingers together before she looks up to Pyrrha softly. “ **Do… do you mind if you sleep with me. It’s a bit cold and… I just need the warmth of someone else.** ” She signs with a faint blush, knowing how awkward it is to ask this question. But she just needs the embrace of someone to help her sleep and she knows Pyrrha the most out of everyone in this house. Plus, she wants to see how Pyrrha would react so that she can tease her for it later.

Pyrrha shrugs her shoulders and walks back towards the sofa. “Sure. Staying close will let us stay warm.” Pyrrha says softly, not reacting strongly one way or the other towards the statement.

Neo’s eyes dart away for a brief moment as she fully expected Pyrrha to blush brightly and stumble around with her words, yet she didn’t seem to care. Whatever is going on here, it seems that Pyrrha has been inflicted with it too. She gives a small sigh as she climbs up onto Pyrrha’s chest and hugs her softly. She starts to feel her eyelids get heavy, before soon enough she falls into a deep sleep.

When Neo falls asleep, she would find herself shaken awake by a tall ginger haired boy. “Come on Emily, wake up we need to leave now!” He says with urgency in his voice.

When Neo would rub her eyes, she would find herself back in her younger body when she was about thirteen years old. Emily stretches her arms and signs to Romeo “ **Why do we need to leave? I was just getting comfy in bed.** ”

“Because your old man brought some terrible things into here. I’m not sure what they are exactly but… they seem to be having some kind of affect on everyone here.” He tells his mute friend, tugging at her arm until she climbs out of bed.

When Emily looks at Romeo, she seems unamused thinking that this is just another game of his, especially when it’s so late in the night. “ **Romeo, it’s nearly two o’clock in the morning. I really want to play a game with you, but can’t it wait till later?** ” She asks, giving another yawn.

“Emily, it’s five o’clock in the afternoon.” Romeo says as he shows her the alarm clock, causing the young girl to give a silent gasp. “We can’t stick around here any longer Emily; I can already feel myself wanting to go to bed.” Romeo yawns as he shakes his head, his determination and willpower keeping him awake.

“But what about everyone else? Our parents and my siblings?”

“I’m sorry to say Emily but it’s too late for them. I’ve tried waking them up but they just… refused to even react to me. Your old man did something bad without thinking of the consequences and now, he’s suffering for it. Now we need to leave before it’s too late Emily.” Romeo urges starting to drag Emily out of the door to her room.

The young girl quickly put some shoes on, Romeo not giving her enough time for her to change out of her nightgown. Soon enough her and Romeo burst out of the house and walk into the darkness. Emily gives one last look to her house and finds it getting engulfed in giant large black hands with snow white claws digging into the wood.

The horrific imagery would cause Neo to wake up from her slumber, quickly sitting up on the couch. She looks around and finds Pyrrha, Nora and Ren still sleeping soundly. She’s surprised that her sudden movements didn’t cause Pyrrha to wake up. When she would take a look outside the window, she would spot that it’s clearly day out. “ _This isn’t first thing in the morning! Pyrrha of all people should know when to wake up!_ ” She thought to herself as she starts to gently shake Pyrrha. Her efforts would prove fruitless as she shakes the spartan harder, causing worry to grow on her face.

Thankfully, she would breathe a sigh of relief when she sees Pyrrha’s eyes flutter open. “Ugh… Neo… what is it?” She groggily asks, rubbing her eyes.

“ **We overslept! We need to leave like we planned!** ” Neo signs quickly hopping off of the bed to wake Ren and Nora up from their slumber, causing the two hunters to give a tired groan from their sleep getting disturbed.

“Can’t you just let me get breakfast in bed? I don’t want to get up…” Nora groans as she feels her stomach growl.

“ **It’s far past breakfast Nora! It’s almost past lunch time too!** ” Neo quickly signs, to which Pyrrha translates, albeit unwillingly.

Normally Nora would look heartbroken at the fact that she missed breakfast, because it usually meant that she couldn’t eat Ren’s pancakes that he cooks nearly every morning, as well as some bacon and a good cup of orange juice. But now, Nora is too tired to really care about missing breakfast. “I missed breakfast? That’s a shame… well I can just go back to sleep and try again in the morning.” Nora yawns as she starts to lie back down, only for Neo to pull her up to her feet. “Okay fine, I’m coming.” Nora groans as she grabs her weapon, Magnhild.

Ren gives a soft groan as he rolls onto his back. “I was just about to get to the best part of my dream…” He sighs, only to feel Nora gently tap his stomach with her foot.

“Come on Ren, if I have to get up, you do too, even though I would love to take another nap with you.” She sighs, helping Ren up to his feet.

As Neo fast walks to the front door of the house, giving a small grunt as she pushes the drawer away from the door, the others slowly walk towards her, watching her push the large wooden object out of the way. When the large wooden object was pushed out of the way she turns around towards her friends and gives a scratchy groan. “ **Thanks for the help.** ”

“You’re welcome.” Pyrrha replies flatly, not even a hint of a smile on her tired face.

Without further delay, Neo opens the door, and the team finds themselves back outside, the sun shining brightly onto the white snow, reflecting it’s rays ever so slightly. Neo would then quickly rush to the shed to get the tractor out. When she would get to the tractor that’s inside, she hops onto it and flips the small switch. She soon hears the engine start to roar to life. Soon she drives the large green machine out of the shed and in front of the porch. Neo turns towards Pyrrha and signs “ **Can you go get the trailer please.** ”

Pyrrha rolls her eyes and gives a groan, similar to how a bratty teenager would when their parents would ask them to do a chore. “Fine.” She says as she stomps towards the shed. Soon enough she quickly pulls the flat bed trailer out from the shed and brings it towards the tractor. She hooks up the trailer to the tractor and goes back over to Nora and Ren. “Neo… I’ve been thinking. What’s the point in all of this?” Pyrrha asks as she looks up towards the pink and brown-haired woman with dull eyes.

“ **What? What do you mean?** ” Neo signs confused or perhaps refusing to believe what she just heard from the spartan.

“Well… you saw what happened back at Haven. Cinder just… completely overwhelmed us both. The only reason that we won is because of interference from Yang’s mother.” Pyrrha says as she sits down onto the wooden steps of the porch. “What’s the point in trying to get revenge on Cinder for killing our loved ones if we can’t even come any where close to defeating her. Plus, really, we don’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things. Team RWBY have the relic and Oscar with them, it’s clear that they have more importance than all of us combined.”

Neo couldn’t believe what Pyrrha was saying, the woman who was so hellbent on killing Cinder and getting revenge for everything she’s done, is giving up. This isn’t like her at all! She looks towards Ren and Nora and sees that they’re nodding their heads in agreement. “The only reason that I beat Hazel was because of my semblance. If he didn’t use electric dust, I would’ve been buried six feet under.” Nora says with a soft sigh.

“I think that team RWBY is better off without us. Less people for them to get attached to so that they can stay more laser focused on their goals and not be held back by intense emotions.” Ren rambles, not making any sense.

Neo is stunned as she just shakes her head and rubs her ears. Why is everyone feeling so down on life all of a sudden?! It’s just like what happened before she and Romeo left the farm. She starts to quickly move her hands as she tries to retort their claims. “ **We can train and become stronger! We can stand a chance if we work together as a team! Even against someone as powerful as Cinder! The only reason we lost to her was that we were unprepared for her fancy new trick, but now that we know what to expect, we can plan around that.** ” Neo’s eyes are lit with passion, unlike the dull, lifeless eyes of her teammates who just give a small shrug.

“I still don’t understand what you’re saying…” Nora points out before giving another yawn. Neo gives Nora glare as she looks to Pyrrha, expecting her to translate but of course, Pyrrha seems to have no interest in wanting to do it.

“Neo, listen, we can’t be prepared for everything. The bad guys always seem to have some kind of trick up their sleeve that allows them to push over us. Plus, you saw what Salem looked like. How can we go against someone like her?” Pyrrha yawned as she makes her way towards Neo, putting her hand on her shoulder. “I think it’s just best if we just go back inside and take another small rest. Maybe one that lasts forever. Team RWBY will be fine without us. Plus, we will be able to see Jaune and Roman again soon.”

This doesn’t make sense, Pyrrha isn’t making any sense! Yet for some reason, Neo starts to find herself starting to agree with the spartan. Perhaps their desire for revenge is futile, especially if it means that she can see her Dum Dum again. The glimmer that was in Neo’s eyes starts to fizzle out, her pink and brown eyes starting to go dull and lifeless. She’s really starting to feel tired now. A nap does sound good. As she’s about to give in to her apathy, she feels a cold breeze sting her face which causes a shiver to run down her spine. The breeze also caused the bowler hat that belonged to Roman to fly off and fall into the well. Neo’s eyes spark back to life as she realizes that her hat is carried away by the wind. She looks down the well in any attempts to find her one last remnant of her love. She gives a small groan as it’s too dark for her to see.

“Neo, don’t worry about it. It’s just a hat.” Ren says, waving her off.

“ **It’s not just a hat! It’s something that’s very important to me! This is the hat that Roman always wore! It’s the one thing that reminds me why I’m here and why I keep on moving, no matter what gets in my way!** ” Neo signs with passion, as she feels the fires in her soul get reignited.

“It’s just an article of clothing Neo, it’s not important.” Pyrrha lectured, causing Neo to look at Pyrrha in disbelief. She feels her anger building up towards the spartan but then she remembers that this isn’t like Pyrrha. Perhaps she needs a reminder about who she is too.

“ **How would you feel if you lost Jaune’s hoodie?! You always wear that ragged thing because it’s the last reminder you have of Jaune! It’s no different from my hat!** ” Neo signs rapidly. “ **I don’t care if you’ll help me find Roman’s hat in the well, but I just want you to know that I would help you find Jaune’s hoodie! Same goes for you two Ren and Nora. I would help you two try to find any sentimental object that got lost too!** ” Perhaps telling her team this will help give them some sort of motivation to do something instead of standing around in their own self-pity.

Pyrrha gives a small nod as she sees that Neo is making sense. “Okay fine… we will help you look for your hat. But afterwards we’re going to go to sleep.” Pyrrha says as she makes her way towards the well.

Ren nudges Nora to get up as he makes his way towards the well. Nora gives a small grunt as she follows her childhood friend. “So… we’re going down the well I’m guessing?” She asks, to which Neo nods her head yes. “Fine, I guess. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take too long.” She grumbles.

Neo was the first one to jump down the well, followed by Pyrrha, Ren and finally Nora. They all land on their feet with a small thud, the bottom of the well surprisingly being not that deep. They all take out their scrolls and turn on the flashlight as they look around their immediate surroundings. It seems like this is more than just a well. It’s like some underground catacombs or sewage system. The sounds of dripping water can be heard echoing throughout the cave as the air gets dank and heavy. Soon enough they start to walk through the narrow halls of the well. “It shouldn’t have gone far, it’s probably somewhere around the immediate area.” Pyrrha says as the group comes up on several splitting paths.

“I’ll go down this way to the left. I don’t know nor do I care where you guys go.” Nora says as she slowly walks down the small tunnel towards her left, leaving behind Neo, Pyrrha and Ren. As Nora walks down the tunnel, her footsteps echoing with each step, she spots something out of the corner of her eye. She shines her flashlight towards it and finds out that it’s Neo’s hat. She gives a relieved smile, happy to know that this is over. “There it is. Now I can go take a nap.” Nora says as she kneels down to pick the hat up. When she picks it up, her flashlight shines over some weird mass of darkness. Slowly trailing her flashlight up, Nora finds a large colony of human like Grimm, with dislocated jaws and glowing red eyes. They give a large groan as they spot Nora, reaching their two fingered clawed hands towards her. Life suddenly returns to her eyes as Nora let’s out a loud terrified scream and starts to run away.

Nora’s scream echoes throughout the well, causing Ren and Pyrrha to snap out of their trance as they hear their friend in danger. “Nora?!” Both Ren and Pyrrha shout in unison. Neo quickly takes out Hush and run towards the direction she heard the scream. Ren and Pyrrha both follow Neo, taking out their respective weapons as well.

They would find Nora running towards them, fear plastered on her face. “We need to get out of here!” She shouts with urgency. Crossing the corner, Ren, Neo and Pyrrha would see what Nora was running away from. The blob of human like Grimm give another groan as they slowly walk towards team PNNR.

Neo’s eyes shrink as she finally connects the dots. So, these are the ones responsible for everything. These are the monsters that Roman mentioned her father brought to the farm. These are the culprits behind the tragedy of Brunswick Farms. She stands dazed, not realizing that Ren and Nora are already running away. She gets brought back to reality as Pyrrha shakes her shoulders. “Don’t just stand there like a deer in head lights! Run!” Pyrrha shouts.

Neo shakes her head and runs alongside Pyrrha, their rapid steps in the small puddles echoing through the sewers as the team of hunters tries to find some kind of exit. They can’t remember the way they came from however so they’re hoping they either stumble upon it or something else. As the four turn around a corner, they spot another large swarm of the zombie like Grimm walking closer towards them. There’s too many of them to fight off, so with no other choice they trace back their steps and run down another tunnel. They come across a large grate that’s blocking them away from what appears to be some kind of wine cellar. Pyrrha steps forth as her hands glow black, with the metal bars of the grate glowing black too. With a blink of an eye, the grate flies off and lands on the floor with a clang.

As they make their way into the wine cellar, they hear the groans of the Grimm directly behind them. They would then suddenly give a large scream that reverberates through out the area. As they scream, everyone would start to feel weak, as if they got hit by a wave of exhaustion. They land onto their knees as they grab their head. “W-what’s going on?! Why is it hard for me to do anything?!” Pyrrha groans as she crawls towards the stairs, slowly making her way up. When near the top, she finds a metal door that leads outside. She tries to push it open with her polarity, but she can’t concentrate enough to use it. All that happens is her hands blink black for a brief second before fizzing out. Pyrrha lays down on the stairs as she tries to fight through the exhaustion. This can’t be it! There has to be something that she can do! But… she can’t think of anything, her attempts are futile, despite how close she was.

“They’re draining away our willpower!” Ren shouts as he slowly crawls towards the stone floor of the wine cellar. He crawls a few inches forward before falling flat, his twin guns falling out of reach from his grip.

Neo gives a grunt as she feels weak and helpless. She can’t let it end like this! Not when they were so close! She turns around and spots Nora lying on her back as she stares up at the wall. If she could talk, she would definitely be screaming Nora’s name.

The horde gets closer and closer towards Nora, reaching out their arms as they’re so close to digging their claws into her flesh. Yet despite this, Nora doesn’t seem to fear anything. “This is fine… I’m tired anyways…” she says softly.

Neo looks on in horror at the oncoming demise of the ginger haired girl. She slams her fist on the ground as she tries to fight back by any means! She can’t go down like this! Not when she finally found a place where she belongs after thinking that she would never find anyone that would treat her like Roman did. The kindness and comradery that Ren, Nora, Ruby and especially Pyrrha showed to her, how despite her past, their willing to look past it because she shares the same goal as everyone else! She’s not an asset to these people, she’s a partner, no not just a partner, they’re a family! With a screeching scream Neo’s aura glows brightly as she feels the thuds of heavy armored footsteps rushing past her. Turning around she spots Pyrrha bashing the Grimm that were trying to kill Nora with her shield, before stabbing them with Milo.

With the small break away from the Grimm, Pyrrha gently nudges Nora up who looks up at Pyrrha tiredly. Something seems off about her. Her skin looks like porcelain and her eyes are very glassy. It also seemed like her mouth was simply painted by red paint. Nora then sees “Pyrrha” get stabbed through the chest, causing Nora to snap out of her daze. “PYRRHA!” She cries out. Yet as she sees Pyrrha get stabbed, she breaks apart into glass. Nora, recognizing this, turns towards Neo and finds her hand reached out. Without questioning what just happened, Nora quickly gets back up as she runs towards the stairs, dragging Ren with her who was able to build energy again.

Neo, seeing that Nora and Ren are close to the stairs closes her eyes and with a small shimmer of her body, she creates a replica of Ren and Nora. Ren crouches down to the ground and soon the area around the wine cellar becomes colorless as he uses his semblance while Nora charged towards the beasts, swinging her hammer wildly with reckless abandon. The Grimm let out cries of pain while also losing sense of the direction of the humans they were chasing earlier, almost as if they just disappeared. Instead, they focus on the clone of Nora who is cutting down their numbers, attacking it with slow claw swipes until it breaks away into glass. Neo gets up onto her feet and make her way towards the stairs. Just as she got to the bottom of the stairs, the clone of Ren shatters apart, most likely due to overuse from using his semblance.

As the area gets filled with color again, the Grimm sense the fear from Team PNNR and notice that they’re on the stairs and far away from them. They let out another loud cry, causing the four of them to feel their energy be drained away. With a pained grunt, Neo creates two clones of Nora and Pyrrha, who charge in towards the Grimm, fighting exactly how the real ones would. They would prove to be a strong enough distraction as Pyrrha gives a loud yell, punching the doors to the cellar open, causing the doors to fly off and break the chain that held them together. “Let’s go!” Pyrrha shouts.

Team PNNR quickly scrambles out of the cellar, leaving behind the clones to take care of the horde before getting overwhelmed. As the four of them run out from the storage closet and past the bar, Neo slows to a stop as she looks at all the bottles of booze. She gives an intense glare as she rushes towards the bar, taking the bottles and throwing them into the storage closet and across the bar. The glass bottles shatter on impact as the alcohol goes everywhere. Reaching into her pocket, Neo takes out one of the large fire dust crystals she got from Pyrrha so long ago and throws it into the puddle of alcohol. Using Hush, she points towards the crystal and fires a small shot, causing it to burst into flames. Thanks to the alcohol, the flames roar to life rapidly as they set fire to the wood.

Seeing her job done and not wanting to get burned alive, she runs after Pyrrha and the others as the flames slowly consume more and more of the rustic house. They run out of the house and towards the tractor before turning around and sees the house get engulfed in flames. Neo looks up at the wreckage she caused as a small frown grows on her face. A small tear starts to form in her eye as she remembers all the memories she had of this place. She would then feel a firm hand pat her shoulder as she looks up and finds Pyrrha giving her a comforting look. “It’s okay Neo.” She says softly.

Ren goes up to Neo as well, patting her other shoulder while Nora pats her back from behind. Neo gives a deep sigh as she looks up at her childhood burning away from her. “ **The past is in the past. Emily Brunswick died alongside her family and that’s okay. I’m a new person now, and I have a new family that I found.** ” Neo signs with a gentle smile as she looks at her friends and family. Pyrrha crouches down to give Neo a hug, with Ren and Nora joining as well, wrapping the small woman in a warm embrace. She’s never felt this much love ever. Roman was just one person who loved her, while this is an entire group that cares deeply for her. She can’t help but get a little bit choked up as she hugs her team and family back, giving a small sob. The four hug in silence, not needing to say anything as they know that actions speak louder than words.

Soon enough the four separates as Neo rubs her eyes, wiping her tears away. Nora gives Neo a gentle sisterly smile as she places her hat back on top of her head. “We will always be here for you Neo. You’re one of us now, whether you like it or not. We treat our team members like family, because for Ren and me, they’re the only family that we have.” Nora reassures with a calm smile. Neo gives a happy nod, a permanent smile growing on her face as she hops onto the tractor with Pyrrha, Nora and Ren hopping into the trailer.

With a step from the pedal, the tractor soon takes off at a decently fast speed, away from Brunswick Farms. Neo takes a small sigh as she feels like she can finally leave this past life behind now. She has a new family and that’s all that matters now.

As the four ride along in the tractor, telling small stories to each other to pass the time, the sun would start to set as the sky turns into a beautiful color of orange, yellow and red. As they drive down the road, Pyrrha would feel her scroll vibrate. Getting confused, she takes it out and notices that she’s getting a call from Ruby. When she answers the phone, everyone on board can hear Ruby shout through the phone. “Pyrrha! Oh, thank god that you’re okay! I’ve been trying to call you ever since we arrived in Argus last evening!”

“Wait… what?” Pyrrha responds, confused to be getting a call from Ruby. She thought that there was no signal out here. Putting her phone down she notices that they’ve come to a stop.

Neo turns around and gives her friends a smile. **“Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at our destination.** ” She signs as she gestures towards the large wall in the distance that was Argus. Ren and Nora stare at the city in awe, admiring the pure beauty of the landscape with the setting sun in the horizon.

“It’s beautiful!” Nora admired, having never seen a sight like this before.

“We made it… we’re one step closer now.” Ren says softly, happy to just be here right now.

Pyrrha gives a small warm smile as she looks over the town that was her home. “Despite everything that’s happened to me, it feels good to be home.”


	12. Heartache

As the sun sets on the horizon of Argus, Team PNNR pulls up to the entrance of the large town on the tractor, causing a few people to stare at them with mild curiosity. The stares don’t bother Pyrrha, who has her hood up for the time being to avoid swarms of people recognizing her. Nora looks around and taps her fingers together. “Man… we’re getting a lot of attention, and not the kind that I like.” she laughs nervously.

Before anyone can react to Nora’s statement, they hear a loud familiar shout. “THERE YOU ARE!!!” Turning their attention towards the source of the noise, they find Ruby charging towards them in a huge burst of rose petals, tackling Pyrrha into a tight hug. “We were so worried about you!” Ruby sobs softly as she desperately grabs at Pyrrha’s back.

Pyrrha gives a small hum as she hugs Ruby back, enjoying the warmth. “It’s like I said, it’ll take a lot more than some Grimm to kill me.” She says, smiling down at the silver-eyed girl.

“Ruby! Please don’t run off so fast… we can only run so fast.” Shouts a young boyish face. Coming around the corner is none other than Oscar, who is being followed by Weiss, Blake, a very drunk looking Qrow, and Yang. Oscar seems to be wearing some brand-new clothes, mainly consisting of a large green cloak that brings out his maturity.

Nora’s eyes light up as she sees the young farm boy. “Cute!” She shouts, crouching down to her knees.

Oscar’s eyes widen in horror as he realizes what’s about to happen. “Nonononono Nora, please! I just got some new clothes!” He pleas, raising his hands in defense.

Unfortunately, Oscar’s pleas fall on death ears as, like a cat, Nora shakes her butt getting ready to pounce. “Boy!” She shouts once more, hands touching the ground. “OZ!!!” She screams as she launches towards Oscar, bricks flying up and breaking apart from the sheer strength of Nora’s huge leap.

Oscar gives a small gulp as he knows there is no escape from Nora. He feels a large thud ramming into his chest before feeling engulfed in a death grip as Nora tackles the young boy to the ground, hugging and cooing over him. “N-Nora! T-too tight!” He gasps. He doesn’t try to fight against Nora’s iron hug any further as he’s just happy to know that Nora is okay, so he returns the hug to the best of his abilities in the current situation.

Nora would soon feel a dull pain on the back of her head, causing her to give a groan and roll over onto her back. Neo taps her parasol on the ground before grabbing Nora by the sleeve of her jacket and dragging her away from Oscar, shaking her head disapprovingly. “ _I swear if I ever become a victim to one of those hugs, I won’t hesitate to knock her out._ ” She thinks to herself before smiling softly. “ _Nah, I think just a bonk will be good enough._ ”

When Neo drags Nora back to the group, Nora quickly hops back onto her feet and gives a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I kinda lost my cool there. I just couldn’t help it! He’s soooo cute!” She apologizes.

“That’s implying you had any cool, to begin with.” Pyrrha roasts. Neo covers her mouth in shock from the burn while Ren and Ruby wince.

Nora’s jaw drops to the ground as she stares at Pyrrha in disbelief. But her signature smile quickly returns as she finger guns towards Pyrrha. “That was savage P-Money!” She grins.

“Please don’t call me P-Money.”

“Whatever you say, boss~” Nora snickers before going over to Ren’s side.

“How did you manage to beat us to Argus?” Ren asks Ruby.

“Heheh, well that’s a bit of a long story.” Ruby trails off as she realizes that there’s something important that she needs to tell Pyrrha and the others. But that can wait till later. For now, they should celebrate reuniting. “But to make a long story short, we were found by a merchant traveling to Argus, so they gave us all a ride.”

“They were quite nice. I’m surprised they had room for all of us.” Blake comments, her cat ear twitching softly.

“ **Damn it! You guys get treated like royalty while I was stuck going through emotional turmoil!** ” Neo signs with a pout.

Ruby raises her eyebrow at what Neo signed, causing Pyrrha to look at the red hooded huntress. “We’ll tell you later,” she whispers.

Yang taps Ruby’s shoulder, wondering what Neo said to which Ruby translates. She gives a small scoff as she puffs her chest up. “Well, it doesn’t help to have the Ice Queen herself with us!” She says, bringing Weiss in close to her.

“H-hey! Not so rough!” The young Schnee whines before crossing her arms.

The group gives a small chuckle at Weiss’s agony before Pyrrha looks at Ruby. “So where have you guys been staying?” She asks curiously.

“Oh, just in some hostel. It was cheap and we were very tired when we arrived here.” Ruby explains.

“Yeah, and it was in terrible conditions! I swear I could’ve heard rats and spiders crawling all over the floorboards.” Weiss whines once more.

“It wasn’t that bad Princess. It beats sleeping outside.” Blake teases, causing Weiss to blush softly.

Pyrrha gives a small smile as she puts her hand on Weiss’s shoulder. “Well lucky for you Ice Queen, I know a place that will be suitable enough for your high standards.” The spartan tells her.

Nora’s eyes shine as she gets what Pyrrha means. “You’re taking us to your house?!” She exclaims excitedly.

“Oh yeah, you did mention that you lived in Argus.” Ren points out, remembering the first night team JNPR spent together, telling everyone where they came from.

“Yep. So, come with me and I’ll take you to my place. Just…” Pyrrha trails off with a long sigh. “Just don’t let what you see change your perspective on how I am.”

“We promise Pyrrha. Nothing will change how we see you. You’re our friend and we accept how you are.” Ruby says softly, hugging the much taller woman.

“Oh! I can’t wait! It’s going to be like a slumber party!” Nora says excitedly, bouncing up and down in place.

“Nora, you do realize that we’ve all been sleeping together as a team for nearly two years, right?” Ren asks with a concerned sigh.

“But that’s different! We’re going to Pyrrha’s house! That’s a slumber party! Not just sleeping in some dorms.” Nora explains, clearly showing the huge differences and how this qualifies as a slumber party.

As the group boards onto a trolley, following Pyrrha’s lead, the tall spartan looks down at Ruby. “So, were you able to find someone to take you to Atlas?” She asks curiously.

“Heheh, about that…” Ruby nervously giggles as she taps her fingers together, causing Pyrrha to raise an eyebrow.

“Did something happen?”

“Well… kinda. Let’s just say that only Weiss is allowed to go back to Atlas.” Ruby says before taking a deep sigh which was followed by a long groan. “We’re so close! But Atlas just decided to close its borders and keep everyone out.”

“Don’t worry. I’m certain we will figure out some way to get you guys towards Atlas.” Pyrrha says as she already starts coming up with a few plans. She looks towards Neo, who was snacking on a cupcake that she more than likely stole when no one was looking. Pyrrha gives a small smile, counting herself lucky to have an illusionist on her side.

As the group rides along in the trolly, they notice that they seem to be going to a part of Argus with bigger houses and beautiful fencing. Everyone looks around in awe, wondering which house is Pyrrha’s, causing her to blush brightly. As the trolley approaches a large house with brass spiked fencing, Pyrrha would pull on a small cord on the trolley, causing it to slow to a halt. “Come on, we’re here.” She says towards everyone, hopping off of the vehicle. Once everyone was off, the trolley drives away to continue its route across all of Argus. Pyrrha comes face to face with the large brass gate, giving a deep sigh and opening it. She and her friends walk down a fine stone pathway that led up towards the three-story house. The house itself was smaller than most houses in the neighborhood but it’s still larger than what most of the team have seen, save for Blake and Weiss. The house was made out of sparkling white brick that had faint traces of gold-colored trimmings that led up towards a deep crimson roof. The front yard was fairly simple, having a few trimmed bushes and several flower beds that were filled with a variety of flowers such as daisies, roses, lilies, and hydrangeas.

“Whoa… your house is huge!” Nora exclaims excitedly as she runs her hand across one of the bushes, admiring how smooth it surprisingly was. Ren quickly pulls Nora away from the bush to prevent any accidents that may occur thanks to Nora’s meddling.

“I expected for her to have a pretty big home, considering her status as one of the top warriors in training.” Weiss says as she admires how quaint it felt, compared to her own home. She has a hard time explaining why, but it felt more homely and warm compared to her cold and prison-like mansion.

“I’m surprised you’re not bragging about your mansion being bigger.” Blake giggles, causing Weiss to give a small, flustered whine.

“Of course I wouldn’t! I’m not a size queen!” Weiss pouts before realizing what she just said. She looks at Yang in horror who has a huge snarky grin on her face.

“That’s what she said!” The blonde blurts out, pointing finger guns towards Weiss.

“I walked into that one…” The Ice Queen sighs, embarrassed at her poor choice of words.

Neo quickly walks up to Pyrrha’s side and nudges her. “ **I didn’t expect you of all people to be upper class. You hardly act like it.** ” She signs as she has to walk at a faster pace to keep up with Pyrrha.

“Well, I never liked to flaunt my status around. I wanted people to like me for me, something that only you guys have done for me.” She says smiling warmly at her friends. The red-headed spartan ends up right in front of a pair of large oak doors that were easily fifteen feet tall with marble pillars on both sides of it that supported a small balcony. Pyrrha takes a deep breath as she stares at the door. What will her mother and father think of her transformation? What will they think about just seeing her in general? Nearly everyone in Remnant believes Pyrrha to be dead since the fall of Beacon. She gives a deep breath as a black aura envelops her hand. From the top of the large door frame floated down a small house key. The key is in the same place as it always was, almost as if her parents still believed Pyrrha to be out there as they knew she was the only one that can reach the key.

Taking another big deep sigh before she slowly unlocks the large doors with an audible click and opens them. The doors cry as they open to reveal a beautiful grand foyer with large stairs that lead up towards the upper levels. There was a large crystal chandelier hanging over the room that reflected the light and creating small little rainbows in the reflections. Pyrrha steps inside, with her friends following suite as they hear a sweet motherly voice that’s fairly similar to Pyrrha’s voice. “Honey? You’re home earlier than I expected. I thought you wouldn’t be back until Friday?” She says as she comes out from a side room carrying a tray of dirty dishes. The woman had short red hair that went down to the bottom of her neck, fairly similar to the way that Pyrrha’s is wearing her hair right now, save for the fact that it was more cleanly cut. She wore glasses that made her emerald eyes sparkle with kindness. She looks just like Pyrrha, save for being slightly older.

When her mother’s eyes would meet Pyrrha’s, the tray of dishes would fall to the floor, breaking all the beautiful plates. Pyrrha gives her mother a small wave and a smile. “Hello, Mother.” She says sheepishly.

Pyrrha’s mom stared in disbelief before rubbing her eyes to make sure that she’s not seeing things. This is no doubt her beloved daughter. While her hair is much shorter than it was during the Vytal Festival and she has a huge scar on her face, this is still Pyrrha. She can recognize her daughter no matter how much she’s changed. “Pyrrha…” She mutters softly before running towards the tall woman, eyes getting blurry with tears. She hugs her daughter tightly as she cries softly into Pyrrha’s chest.

Pyrrha gives a small smile before hugging her mother back just as tight, a few tears running down her cheek as well. She’s never realized just how much she missed her mother. “I missed you so much, mother.” She utters softly, giving a small sniffle.

Everyone looks at the family reunion with a smile, feeling a cozy warmth fill their chest from the sight. Even Qrow, despite his drunken stupor, was warmed by the reunion. The hug would soon end as Pyrrha’s mother breaks away and looks up at her daughter. “I knew that you were still alive. My little magnet is too strong to go down without a fight.” She says softly, wiping a few tears away. Neo takes note of what Pyrrha’s mother said and dots it down for later, a mischievous smile growing on her face.

“I won’t go down so easily mother; you can count on that. I still have my flawless record to upkeep.” She laughs softly. “I wish that I could stay permanently but, my friends and I are on a mission and we just need to stay here for the night.” Pyrrha says, showing off the large group of people that were behind her.

The news that Pyrrha was only going to be here for one night caused her mother to grow a saddened look on her face before a smile grows back at the sight of Pyrrha’s friends. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. I would be more than happy to have you stay here for the night. Anything for Pyrrha’s friends.” She says warmly. “I’ll have to make a much larger dinner though! So many eager mouths to feed!”

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience Mrs. Nikos.” Ruby apologizes, giving the woman a bow.

“Oh please, it’s nothing, and call me Athena. No need for any formalities here.” Athena waves off. It’s clear that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. “Now, if you don’t mind, tell me your names so I can give each of you a proper cup and utensils.”

“I’m Ruby Rose, huntress in training.”

“Weiss Schnee. It’s a pleasure.”

“I’m Blake Belladonna.”

“The name is Yang Xio Long and don’t wear it out.”

“I… umm I’m Oscar Pine. Just a farm boy from Mistral.”

“Qrow _hic_ and nothing more.”

“Nora Valkyre! One of Pyrrha’s teammates!”

“I’m Lie Ren, Pyrrha’s other teammate from Beacon. It is an honor to meet you.” Ren says, putting his fist together and giving Athena a small bow.

“ **I’m Neo Politan, but you can just call me Neo.** ” The mute girl signs before tipping her hat towards Athena.

“Neo Politan… now why does that sound familiar?” Athena ponders as she swears that she heard that name before.

A small bead of sweat runs down Pyrrha’s forehead as she tries to avoid a potential situation. “Well, perhaps you’re confusing her name with Neapolitan, the type of ice cream.”

“You’re probably right dear, but regardless, it is a pleasure to meet all of you. Pyrrha, would you mind showing your friends to their rooms? Dinner will be ready in a few.” Athena says as she starts to head back towards the kitchen before remembering the mess she made earlier. “Oh, dear! I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot I dropped all these plates! Clumsy me!” Athena giggles, bending down to pick the shards of porcelain up.

“Let me help mother.” Pyrrha offers before her mother waves her away.

“It’s okay sweetie, go show your friends their rooms for the night. I’ll clean up this mess.” Athena says softly, already having cleaned the mess up and putting the shards back on the plate. “If any of you ever need anything, just give me a call. Do feel free to relax in the living room too.” Taking one last look at her daughter, she gives a happy sigh before leaving through a doorway into what can be assumed to be the kitchen.

After Pyrrha showed her friends their rooms, with each of them being able to have their own individual rooms, she leads everyone to the living quarters and motions for everyone to sit on one of the leather couches that looked super comfortable. The living room itself had a blue and white color scheme with a lovely glass table in the middle that was being supported by a bronze statue of an Ursa Grimm. There was a mahogany television stand that held a large TV. In the stand itself were shelves full of various movies, some of which that Ruby was able to recognize while others seemed more foreign. Right next to the television was a glass trophy case filled with various gold trophies and medals celebrating Pyrrha’s accomplishments in combat. Yang gives a small whistle as she looks at the trophy case. “Damn Pyrrha, that’s a lot of gold you have there. No wonder I was never able to beat you back at Beacon.” Yang compliments.

“They don’t mean much to me anymore. Just objects that will eventually rust and have to be thrown away.” Pyrrha says softly as she sits down on the couch. “So, what happened to you guys when you left the train?” Pyrrha asks curiously with a patient smile.

Ruby and her friends give each other a concerning look as they realize what they will have to tell Pyrrha and her friends. They know that the spartan wouldn’t react to the news well, but they’re prepared to deal with the fallout. Hopefully, it won’t be that bad. “Well… you see Pyrrha,” Ruby says, beginning her tale about how they discovered to activate the relic of knowledge by calling upon the name Jin. Ruby tells about the history of Ozpin and Salem, revealing that Salem was once a beautiful woman who loved Ozpin, who was known as Ozma back then, and their happy life together alongside the gods of light and dark. She tells about how Ozma died from an illness and Salem tried to beg for the god of light to bring him back, only to be refused and turned to the god of darkness, getting her wish granted. They would tell about how Salem was punished for tricking the gods with immortal life so that she can never be with Ozma until she learned the true meaning of life. Salem would then raise an army to fight against the gods, only for her efforts to result in all of humanity becoming nearly extinct and lose their power of magic.

As Ruby tells her story, she can see everyone’s face react in shock to the truth of everything and that this is humanity’s second chance. She notices Pyrrha’s face changing the most as everything becomes revealed. Changing from shock to sympathy, and now to an unreadable expression. Ruby continues with her story and tells about the god of light’s mission for Ozma to find the four relics and unite them when humanity has been united. When the four relics would be brought together, the gods would return and judge, determining whether humanity is worthy of living alongside them again or they should be destroyed once more.

This ultimatum from the God of Light rubs Pyrrha the wrong way as she ponders over what right the gods have to determine whether they should live or die solely based on whether they’re united as a race. A small scowl starts to grow on her face, which would only intensify when she hears what happens next. While knowing the fact that Ozpin and Salem reunited and had a family didn’t surprise her, and hearing about their falling out disappointed her, she wasn’t prepared for what was to come next. It was revealed by Jin herself that Salem can’t be defeated. There isn’t a single way that you can kill her in this universe as she will simply come back to life. Hearing this news causes Pyrrha to squeeze her thigh tightly, nails digging into her skin. “So… you’re telling me that Salem can’t be killed, right?” Pyrrha asks Ruby, who only nodded softly. Pyrrha starts to shake with frustration as her feelings start to tilt over.

Ruby quickly looks at everyone else, noting Ren’s silent shocked stare who simply couldn’t believe the tale he was told, yet he knows that Ruby would never lie about something like this. Nora is equally as shocked, looking down at her hands before clenching them into a fist, a look of determination replacing her shocked face. Neo remained silent and unreadable, having closed her eyes in thought, most likely processing over everything that was told. Ruby turns her attention back to Pyrrha and gently puts a hand on the shaking woman’s shoulder. “But just because we learned about this-“ She says before getting cut off.

“It’s useless. It’s all fucking useless!” Pyrrha yells with anger as she stands straight up. “Everything we were fighting for, every minute of training, every god damn plan we have against Salem is all useless now! She’s unkillable!” Pyrrha stomps around the living room, her heavy footsteps sending vibrations across the mansion. She then realizes something, a lock of stunned silence growing on her face before her lips gently utter. “He died for nothing…”

Oscar cautiously steps towards Pyrrha. “What did you say?” He asks.

Pyrrha glares at Oscar as she thinks about who is responsible for everything. For keeping this secret from everyone. For training children to fight an unwinnable war, being sent off like sheep to the slaughter. She lets out a war cry and grabs Oscar by the throat and slams him into a nearby wall, pinning him against it as she chokes the poor farm boy. “IT’S YOUR FUCKING FAULT THAT JAUNE IS DEAD! HE DIED HOPING THAT WE COULD WIN THIS WAR BUT NOW THAT SACRIFICE IS MEANINGLESS IF WE CAN’T EVEN KILL SALEM!!!” Pyrrha yells in the boy’s face, eyes engulfed in a fiery rage that burns her very soul. This is a rage that she hasn’t felt since the day Jaune died, not even her encounter with Cinder caused her to burst into such an intense fit of anger and hatred.

Everyone is taken aback by Pyrrha’s sudden actions and tries to pry her off of Oscar, only for her to push them all away with her semblance. “Pyrrha! Stop this! Oscar didn’t do anything!” Ren cries out trying to calm their leader.

“Pyrrha calm down! I was as pissed as you are but that doesn’t mean Oscar deserves this! He’s a victim of this as well!” Yang shouts, running back in to pry the spartan away from the farm boy, only to be pushed away with little effort.

Pyrrha’s hate-filled stare pierces through Oscar’s soul as he tries to tear her hand off of his neck, choking and gagging from the intense pressure. “P-Pyrrha! I-I’m sorry!” He apologizes with weak and watery eyes.

Pyrrha shakes her head in fury as she raises her fist letting out a loud cry of rage before throwing it forward. Oscar closes his eyes, prepared for the punch only to feel nothing coming. He opens his eyes and sees Pyrrha’s fist inside the wall of the room, having broken through the hard brick wall and creating a hole. “Where… is he?” Pyrrha asks in a menacing tone.

“He’s gone Pyrrha. Ozpin has disappeared ever since the truth came out. We can’t bring him out.” Ruby explains as she walks forward to put her hand on Pyrrha’s arm to get her to gently release Oscar. Pyrrha takes a deep sigh and lets Oscar go, who quickly scrambles away from the tall spartan out of fear. Ruby sees the fear in Oscar’s eyes and feels something build up inside of her, something that she refused to acknowledge for the longest time but seeing how Pyrrha treated Oscar is starting to cause it to spill over. However, before she’s able to say anything, she calms herself down and tries to reassure herself that in hindsight, Pyrrha lashing out like this should’ve been expected.

“When he comes back. I want to talk to him and ask him what he sees in us. Does he see us as warriors or just pawns for him to control?” Pyrrha growls as she turns her back towards Ruby.

“Pyrrha, I know what you just found out is devasting but, that doesn’t mean we need to stop fighting. We may not be able to defeat Salem, but we can stop her. What matters is that we save Remnant from her plans of uniting all four relics together. We can still save lives Pyrrha.” Ruby says softly, trying to give Pyrrha her confidence back.

“You don’t get it, Ruby!” Pyrrha shouts turning around to stand over the young huntress. Ruby can feel her anger building back up as Pyrrha tries to ignore the red hooded huntress’s attempts at trying to calm her down. “If we could have done something, Beacon would have never fallen and Jaune would still be alive! But with everything I know now, there’s no point in even trying!”

That was the tipping point. That was the moment that Ruby couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Oh, will you shut the fuck up about Jaune you selfish bitch!” Ruby yells, her silver eyes dilating in rage, catching not only Pyrrha off guard but everyone else in the room. “No one was prepared for what happened on that day! Not even Ozpin and trust me, I’m as upset with him as you are but I’m willing to see my mission through because it’s my duty as a huntress to protect the people, no matter what stands in my way! What even is your goal to fight alongside us?” Ruby rhetorically asks. Pyrrha opens her mouth to answer only for Ruby to interrupt the girl. “No! I will answer that for you! You’re fighting because your “boyfriend” died, and you want vengeance! Working alongside us is the quickest way for you to accomplish that goal!”

“B-but Ruby, you don’t get it! I loved-“

“Don’t you dare interrupt me while I’m talking! I know you loved Jaune, you wouldn’t stop fucking talking about how much you loved him back at Beacon! And now you’re out here seeking vengeance against Cinder for killing Jaune. But you’re completely ignoring everyone else’s feelings about Jaune in favor of your own!” Ruby shouts with rage as steam can be seen coming out of her ears. Yang is hugging Blake tightly, having never seen her younger sister act like this. Ruby’s anger was so intense that it even brought Qrow back into being sober! “Do you truly think that you’re the only one that loved Jaune? What about Ren? Or Nora? Or his family? OR EVEN MYSELF!?” Ruby paused as she dropped the bomb that she’s held inside of herself for so long. “Before you say that he’s the first person that ever made you feel like you ever belonged, or that he was your first friend, I want to tell you that he was my first friend at Beacon too! He made me feel like I belonged in a place that I thought I was too young to belong in! I loved him too! Yet I let you talk to me about how head over heels you were for him! I still wanted to be friends with you and help you get together with Jaune, even if it meant that I could never be with him!” Ruby pauses as she catches her breath.

The room was silent for a brief moment as Ruby paused, too scared to try to say anything. Everyone knows that it’s best for Ruby to get this off her chest and that this will help her calm down. Ruby would soon continue her rant towards the spartan. “You don’t think I was mortified by Jaune’s death?! Fucking hell, I should be more depressed about it than you are! I WAS THE ONE THAT FAILED TO SAVE HIM! Yet look at me now! I’m standing here with my friends! I’ve gotten over his death because I know that there’s no bringing him back! All I can do now is proceed onward and fight in his name and honor his life! But you’re standing here! Still not over his death and having a temper tantrum like the fucking child that you are!” Ruby yells, pointing her finger at Pyrrha who is too stunned and shaken in fear to dare speak against the smaller woman. “You remind me of Salem. Nothing but selfish over the person that they “loved” who saved them from an isolated life. It’s time to get over his death Pyrrha. It’s time for you to fucking move on.” Ruby finishes as she takes a long breath before glaring at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha returns the glare with intensity, her fist trembling as she raises it, prepared to strike at Ruby. Yet despite that, Ruby didn’t flinch. She stood her ground and stared at Pyrrha, causing her fist to shake even more. Pyrrha lets out a loud frustrated scream and quickly lowers her fist before stomping past Ruby and leaving the living room. As Pyrrha walks past everyone, Neo could faintly see the smallest of tears building up in Pyrrha’s eyes, causing her to reach towards Pyrrha out of concern, only for the spartan to ignore her attempt. Pyrrha’s anger-filled steps can be heard echoing throughout the mansion, only to be silenced with a ginormous slam of the wooden doors, proceeded by silence.

Ruby looks towards where Pyrrha left, a glare still on her face before her face softens as she stumbles back, tears forming in her eyes. “Oh my god… why did I say that? I-I didn’t mean it!” She utters softly starting to cry, at which point her team comes up to her and wraps Ruby in a warm embrace.

“You didn’t say anything wrong, Ruby. She needed to hear it.” Weiss assures the young girl, who was crying into the group hug.

Nora, Ren, and Neo look at the hug and then back towards the door, giving a small sigh. “Should we go after her?” Nora asks.

“ **No. Let her have some time to cool off. She needs to think about everything that Little Red said.** ” Neo signs as she sits down on the couch and tips her hat downward, creating a small shadow that covers her eyes.

As Pyrrha stormed away from her house, she starts thinking to herself, not paying attention to where she’s going. ‘ _What right does Ruby have to say all that? She doesn’t know how it feels. She has no idea what it’s like to be unapproachable because of your status._ ’ Pyrrha thinks, as with each thought she grumbles softly. ‘ _She had friends back at Signal, so she was never lonely for a long period of time. I was lonely my entire life, and it’s all thanks to my fame._ ’

Pyrrha doesn’t know how long she’s been out or where she is, but when she looks up, she recognizes that she’s back at the lower parts of Mantel. The sun was slowly lowering on the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful cool yellow color with some dark purple patches. The area she was in had a few benches on the sidewalk. Across from the benches were large hedges, with a stone archway in between the two, creating an entrance. Looking at the spot, she starts to remember that this is the local park. It always was very pretty, even in the harsh cold weather of Argus. But she believes that stopping to take a look at the flowers is just a waste of time right now, she has a lot of other stuff on her mind.

Sitting down on a wooden bench, she takes a deep sigh as she throws her face into her hands. Instead of feeling angry or frustrated, now she feels sad, recalling what she did to Oscar, needlessly choking him for a reason that he can not control. As she reruns the events that just happened, one thing that Ruby said stuck out to her. “You remind me of Salem.” She could hear Ruby say that phrase inside her head over and over.

A look of realization graces her face. Was her anger the fault of everything that’s happened? What if she never met Neo or reunited with the others? What would happen then? Would she end up becoming another Salem? Filled with so much hatred that she just wants to see the world burn? She’s not entirely sure what could have happened, but it made her realize that her rage, her bloody path of vengeance needs to end, for if she’s to continue down the hate-filled path, her destiny will be like that of Salem’s. This isn’t a fate that she will go down, she will make her own destiny and not become like Salem.

With a look of determination, she holds her head up high, feeling like nothing can take her down now. When she does so, she notices one lone maple leaf skittering in the wind, causing her face to soften. “Is that…” She says softly to herself, watching the leaf closely. She sees it skittering into the park. She has the feeling that she should follow it, but she’s not sure why, only that she should. Walking into the park, eyes focused on the leaf, she sees it hit against a stone pedestal before skittering away. Pyrrha slowly trails her eyes up and takes a step back in shock as she sees what’s in front of her. In the middle of the park stood a tall bronze statue of a very familiar-looking man, shield in one hand and a sword raised into the sky with the other. At the base of his feet stood a plaque that read “In honor of Jaune Arc, one of the many students who fought valiantly at the Fall of Beacon.”

Pyrrha simply stares at the statue, her emotions welling up inside of her as she feels her heartache. Her silent stare would soon be interrupted as she hears a feminine voice right next to her. “They did a good job catching his image didn’t they?”

Turning her head to the side, she spots a blonde-haired woman with deep blue eyes. In her hands was a boutique of white windflowers and yellow snapdragons. She looks very similar to Jaune, but different enough to know that it’s not him. Perhaps a family member? Regardless, Pyrrha turns her attention back to the statue. “Yeah. It’s very lovely. But why here of all places?” She asks, figuring that she’s a local resident.

“He was born here, on top of having family here too.” She says softly. “He and the rest of the family were considered residents here and when we learned of the news, the city wanted to erect the statue as soon as possible to honor him. Everyone was surprised to see him leave for Beacon, but it’s where he wanted to be.” She pauses as she looks up to Pyrrha. “I’m just glad that he was surrounded by such amazing people.”

Pyrrha looks at the stranger, takes a deep sigh, and looks down to her feet. “He should be standing here.” She utters, a tinge of sadness lingering on her voice.

“He is. We may not be able to see him, but his soul will always be with us.” The blonde woman says, causing Pyrrha to look up from her feet and stare at the stranger with tears building in her eyes. “He… was always someone that never wanted to give up. He was like that since he was a little kid. On that day, he knew that he had to do something. He had to protect everyone, and he was prepared for the consequences. I don’t think he would ever regret his choices, because he knew that a huntsman would know that there isn’t a choice to make. And a huntsman is what he always dreamed of being, just like his father and grandfather.” She said in a depressed tone, sniffling softly as she remembers his smiling face.

Pyrrha gently rubs her eyes as she hears all of this coming from the woman. He held the same beliefs as she did when she went to Beacon. He was willing to put his life on the line to protect someone, even if it meant certain defeat. That alone makes him a hunter that’s worth more than all the professional huntsmen combined. “Jaune never got to graduate but he was… no is a huntsman.” She tells the stranger, facing her with a warm smile on her face. “I think you’re right. His soul is with us, for it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death.” Pyrrha says, remembering that these were the exact words that she spoke to him all that time ago in the Emerald Forest in order to unlock his aura.

The Spartan’s statement causes the stranger’s eyes to light up as a small trail of tears runs down her cheek. “Thank you! It means so much to hear you say that.” She says happily.

Pyrrha gives the woman another smile before hearing a familiar masculine voice in the distance. “Pyrrha? Are you there?”

Pyrrha turns her attention around and spots Ren, Nora, and Neo at the entrance of the park. They must have gone down to try to find her after everything that happened. The three spot her and start to make their way towards Pyrrha. As they approached, Pyrrha realizes that Ruby was right. That she was being selfish and putting Jaune up on a pedestal. She ignored the sorrow of her team and his family. She would turn around to look for the woman, wanting to say something to her, only to find that she’s gone, the flowers placed on the base of the statue. She couldn’t have been imagining things right?

Before Pyrrha could dwell on this any further, the three approach the spartan. “Pyrrha, are you feeling…” Nora trails off before giving a big gasp as she identifies who the statue is.

The four of them stand in brief silence as they stare at the statue. Ren looked at it in slight shock before sorrow took over his face as he remembers his departed friend, Nora gives a small sniffle, wiping a tear away from her eye while Neo takes off her hat in respect. Pyrrha breaks the silence as she looks at everyone. “Ruby was right. It was selfish of me to believe that I was the only one suffering from Jaune’s death. I’ve been a terrible leader and a terrible friend. I’m so sorry.” She sniffles as she rubs her eyes.

Ren places a firm hand on Pyrrha’s shoulder, with Neo placing her hand on Pyrrha’s lower back to comfort the tall spartan. “Pyrrha, don’t blame yourself. We all knew how much Jaune meant to you and if we were put into your situation, we would recognize that we would behave in a similar way.” Ren tells her softly with a comforting smile.

“We heard what you said to Cinder back at Haven. Please Pyrrha… you mean a lot to us. We love you! We’re a family so please stop believing that your life has no meaning beyond vengeance.” Nora tells her with passion, her voice cracking every now and then as the emotions all catch up to her.

“ **You’re just as important to the rest of us. This isn’t a one-sided relationship where you give everything to all of us and expect nothing in return. We all share in our trust and love; we all value each other equally. You helped me realize that this is what I have been missing my entire life.** ” Neo signs as she gives Pyrrha a small hug.

Pyrrha gives a sniffle as she looks amongst her friends, wipes her eyes before giving a small sniffle, not wanting to break down in front of everyone. But she couldn’t help it. Her friends loved her so much that they’re ready and willing to see past Pyrrha’s faults and her selfishness to find the heart of gold that laid underneath layers of cold hard steel. They wanted to stay by her side. She doesn’t deserve friends like these. She gives a loud bellow as she falls to her knees, causing Ren, Nora, and Neo to crouch down and hug her tightly. Pyrrha returns the tight hug, sobbing into their shoulders as she lets her tears flow. “I’m so sorry for ignoring how you guys felt about losing Jaune. My selfishness and anger prevented me from realizing that many more people suffered losing him than just me.” She sobs. Moments would pass in silence as no more words needed to be said. They all perfectly understand one another and forgive Pyrrha.

Team PNNR all huddles together, letting Pyrrha cry out several months worth of tears and sorrow. As several minutes pass, Pyrrha’s sobbing would come to a silent stop as with one last sniffle, she stands back up on her feet, wiping her eyes and looking at the statue of Jaune Arc. “Jaune… I think he knew that he wasn’t going to survive. But he knew that the world still needed me to protect it, so he went in my stead. And he fought till the very end.” Pyrrha says softly as she reminisces the previous battles Team JNPR had together.

“He was a protector. It’s no wonder why he loved using a sword and shield so much.” Nora smiles, taking another sigh as she looks at the statue.

“Typical of our leader.” Ren smiles.

Pyrrha takes another sigh as she turns towards her team. “It’s time for me to fill that spot that Jaune left for me. To be your leader. And it’s time for me to… move on. It’ll be hard for me to fully move on, but I know that with you three around, you will help me move past my sorrow.”

“Of course, we will Pyrrha, it’s only natural for us to help our friend, we love you.” Ren tells Pyrrha with a smile.

Neo gives a small smile as she mindlessly plays with her hat. “ **You know, in a roundabout way… Jaune was the reason he brought us all together as Team PNNR. I thank him for letting me be able to meet all of you. It’s a debt that I hope I can repay one day.** ” Neo signs with a fond smile, not sure on what else she should say.

“Being here with us is enough. That’s what Jaune would say.” Pyrrha tells the short pink and brown-haired woman. “But now, we must press on and continue towards our goal to protect Remnant. Jaune may not be here with us physically but he will always be with us in our hearts, protecting us like he always has.”

Team PNNR stands in silence once more, staring at the statue of the knight. Ren breaks the silence as he looks at Pyrrha. “We should head back to the house now. Ruby has been worried sick about you ever since you left.” Ren tells her.

Pyrrha’s face softens as she nods her head. “Right. I need to talk to her and apologize.” Pyrrha says as they all turn around to leave.

Neo puts her hat back on as she looks at her friends. “ **You think we can stop and get some ice cream along the way? I’m certain that Ruby and the others would love some apology ice cream.** ” She signs, the cold weather reminding the criminal of her favorite dessert.

“Of course. It’ll be my treat. Ice cream for everyone!” Pyrrha giggles, causing Nora to give a loud gasp of happiness.

“Heck yeah! Ice cream always tastes better with friends!” Nora shouts happily, holding her hand out for Neo. Neo gives the ginger a high five with a playful wink as they all leave the park, talking about what flavors they’re going to get.

Pyrrha lingers behind as she goes back up to the statue. She stares at it quickly, noticing an airship flying off in the distance, causing her to get a small idea. She will put a tab on that idea for later as she takes one final look at the statue. “Thank you, Jaune. Thank you for everything.” She says softly before turning around to catch up with her team.

After a trip back to Pyrrha’s home, they go back into the living room, cones of ice cream in tow as they see team RWBY and Oscar, smiles growing on their faces as they’re so happy to see Pyrrha back. Ruby goes up to Pyrrha and looks up at the taller woman. “I’m so sorry Pyrrha! I didn’t mean to say all of that!”

Pyrrha shakes her head and holds the ice cream cone in front of Ruby. “Don’t apologize Ruby. You were right. I was being selfish and acting like a child. I’m sorry for ignoring how you felt about Jaune and thinking that he was only important to me.” Pyrrha apologizes. “Now take an apology ice cream. Let’s enjoy this last moment of us being together before we have to split apart.”

Ruby gives Pyrrha a big smile, hugging her tightly before letting go and taking the ice cream cone. She gives a big bite into the frozen treat, causing her eyes to sparkle. It’s cookie dough! Her favorite flavor! She lets out a happy hum as she takes another eager bite. “Mmm! Thank you, Pyrrha! Cookie Dough is my favorite!” She thanks, taking another bite before letting out a small pained scream. “Gah! Brain freeze!”

Everyone gives a small laugh at Ruby’s dismay, holding their own ice cream cones, save for Oscar. Pyrrha walks up to the young farm boy and gives him the other ice cream cone, this one being chocolate. “I’m sorry too, Oscar. I shouldn’t have done that to you. But always remember, you’re your own person. You’re not Ozpin so don’t apologize on his behalf.” Pyrrha smiles.

Oscar takes the cone happily. “Thank you Pyrrha, I will try to remember that. I may have his soul inside of me, but I’m still my own person.” Oscar says with determination before looking at the large hole in the brick wall. “I’m just surprised that you were able to punch a hole through that brick wall. Did that hurt?” He asks.

“Nah not really. When you’ve trained so much like me, you’re able to break things without feeling much pain. I’m certain Yang can testify to that.” Pyrrha giggles as she sits down.

“You know it!” Yang winks, raising her ice cream cone in the air in a mock toast motion before taking a bite from the dairy treat.

Ruby sits next to Pyrrha and gives a nervous giggle. “So… I’m guessing I’m banned from the No Cuss Club?” She asks.

“Oh, you definitely are. I never knew you had it in you! Hearing you swear was certainly something.” Pyrrha laughs, putting her arm over Ruby’s shoulders and bringing her into a small side hug.

“Heh, well… I learned a thing or two from Yang.” She laughs softly.

“I still can’t stop thinking about it… it felt so wrong to hear you swear.” Weiss stated as she crosses her legs.

“Yeah! So much for being pure and innocent!” Nora giggles, devouring her ice cream cone.

“Do you guys really have to make such a big deal about me saying fuck? I’m not some innocent little girl anymore. I just don’t like swearing.” Ruby says with a sigh, not really liking the commotion.

“ **Yes, we have to. You’re Little Red, you’re like the shining beacon of purity!** ” Neo signs, having already finished her ice cream cone. Ruby gives a deep sigh as she knows that they won’t let her live this down.

After several minutes of talking and joke-telling later, everyone has finished their ice cream as they all sit with each other. “So… what are we going to do? How are we going to get to Atlas?” Blake asks, reminding everyone of the major roadblock that’s in front of them.

“Actually, I have an idea.” Pyrrha says with a smile, catching everyone’s attention.

“And what would that be?” Says a drunken voice coming from behind them. Qrow stumbles into the room and crosses his arms, staring at the group of young adults. He seems very skeptical about whatever Pyrrha’s idea is, dead set on believing that they’re at the end of the road.

“Well… the idea is that we steal an Atlas Airship.” Pyrrha says with a firm look, indicating that she’s not joking. Neo’s eyes sparkle at hearing the idea, it’s been so long since she’s stolen something and now they have a good reason to do so!

“Oh, what a wonderful idea Magnet Girl! But there are so many problems with this plan. For one, how are we going to be able to steal it? Two, none of us know how to fly the damn thing.” Qrow growls as he crosses his arms, determined to just give up.

“Are you forgetting that we have the master of illusions here?” Pyrrha says, gesturing towards Neo, who puffs her chest with pride. “Neo can disguise all of you as Atlas Soldiers and even as Weiss’s luggage. Once you guys get far enough, the disguises will drop and you can remove any of the escorts that will no doubt be sent with Weiss.” Pyrrha explains, having thought carefully about this plan. “And the airships have an autopilot option that can get everyone to Atlas.”

“While I’m not sure why, perhaps something to do with Ozpin’s memories, I have the feeling that I can pilot the ship with confidence.” Oscar told Qrow who simply rolled his eyes.

“A feeling that you can pilot the ship doesn’t matter, and with my luck, something bad will happen that will ruin the disguises.” Qrow yells.

Ruby takes a deep sigh as she clenches her fist, getting tired of Qrow’s willingness to give up so easily. “Uncle Qrow, it’s time for you to stop being such a negative Nancy and look at the bright side of things. This is an excellent idea that we can easily execute thanks to Neo and Oscar. So don’t put a damper on everyone’s mood just because you’re so lost in despair that you think the best option is to drown yourself in alcohol and give up!” Ruby rants to her uncle, catching him off guard. He looks down at the flask that’s in his hand and then back up to Ruby. He stares at her and for a brief moment, he swore that he could’ve seen Summer, Ruby’s mother. Ruby’s stern face would soften back into a gentle smile. “Now, if you could keep up with us younglings, we would love to have you along with us.” Ruby says, holding out her hand.

Qrow gives a laugh as he tosses the flask away. “You’re just like your mother, you know that Pipsqueak? She always had a way with words and convincing even the most stubborn of people to do what was for the best.” He says, grabbing his niece’s hand.

“Excellent. With our plan set, all that we need to do is put it into motion. We can do that tomorrow. For now, we should all rest up.” Pyrrha says with a smile.

Everyone nods in agreement and heads off to their respective rooms with Neo following Pyrrha into her room. Pyrrha gets ready to set up an air mattress for herself, only for Neo to tap the spartan on the shoulder. “ **There’s no need to set that up. This bed is big enough for the two of us. Come on in, there’s nothing wrong with sharing a bed between friends.** ” Neo signs with a devious smile.

Pyrrha blushes brightly at the idea and starts to stammer over her sentences before hiding her face with Jaune’s hood. “D-don’t be so forward with such things you bitch!” Pyrrha cries in embarrassment before taking a small sigh. “L-let’s just hope no one walks in on us and get the wrong idea.” Pyrrha says climbing into bed.

Neo giggles softly at Pyrrha’s embarrassment. “ **As long as we keep to our sides of the bed, everything will be fine. Now good night Pyrrha.** ” Neo signs with a small yawn.

Pyrrha gives a deep sigh as she calms herself down. “Good night Neo, just try not to cling on to me.”

“ **No promises~** ” Neo signs with a mischievous laugh. Pyrrha gives a small groan and turns off the lights with a clap of her hands. Soon the two would drift away to sleep, ready and prepared for the big day that’s ahead of them.


	13. Heartfelt Goodbyes and New Horizons

Morning was quick to arrive at Argus as Pyrrha, as usual was the first one up. She rubs her eyes and feels a light weight on her side. Looking down she spots Neo, arms and legs attached to her side like a sloth in a tree. She gives a small groan, blushing brightly as Neo’s arms are underneath her bosom. “Wake up Neo. We need to get ready for today.” She tells the mute, only to be met with a small grumble as the woman hugs tighter onto the Spartan. ‘ _God did Roman have to deal with this every morning?_ ’ Pyrrha thinks to herself as she decides to just get up and out of bed, with Neo still attached to her. Sitting herself up, Pyrrha slips on some crimson-colored slippers and heads out the door.

As soon as she enters the hallway she’s greeted by a sleepy Ruby, her eye mask still on her head as she’s carrying a cup of water. “Hey Pyrrha! Good…morning?” Ruby greets, albeit confused at the sight before her.

“She doesn’t want to wake up and get off of me. Just… try not to make a big deal out of it.” Pyrrha blushes, embarrassed to have been caught like this.

Ruby gives a soft giggle as she walks up to Pyrrha. “Don’t worry! I know what will wake her up!” Ruby says in a sing song voice. She gets up to Neo’s face and brings her hand up to pinch her nose shut. Neo moves around a bit in slight distress before her eyes burst open as her grip on Pyrrha comes loose, causing the mute to fall to the ground with an audible thump.

Neo takes several deep breaths as she looks around her surroundings, confused on how she got from bed to out in the hallway. “About damn time you woke up you lazy sloth.” Pyrrha chuckles as she helps Neo up to her feet. “I swear, despite how tiny you are, you have one tight grip.”

“Yeah, you clung to Pyrrha like a tree! Which is kinda fitting considering how tall she is and how…” Ruby trails off as she sees Neo glaring at her, almost as if welcoming the young huntress to go ahead and say that she’s short. “Uh… fun sized you are!” Ruby beams nervously, giving a small laugh.

Neo raises her eyebrow at the statement and tosses it around her head for a bit. Being called fun sized is something she can get used to. “ **You live for now Little Red. But for that comment you still owe me some bacon!** ” Neo signs with a devious smile.

“Noooo! Not my bacon!” Ruby whines as false tears build up in the corner of her eyes. The pathetic display causes Neo to give a silent chuckle alongside Pyrrha.

“Let’s eat some breakfast and then we can go over the plan in more detail.” Pyrrha says as she walks down the large set of stairs. Ruby quickly drinks the rest of her water and dashes forth in a burst of rose petals to catch up to Pyrrha while Neo jumps off of the railing, opening up Hush and slowly floats down to the bottom floor of the small mansion. Pyrrha rolls her eyes at Neo’s excessiveness and scoffs. “Show off.”

“So, how much of the plan do you have in mind?” Ruby asks.

“I have most of it planned out. It all comes down to execution. I want to try to get out before it’s 10.” Pyrrha says as the two girls reach the bottom of the stairs. The two are suddenly met with a hypnotic aroma emanating from the kitchen.

Walking towards the kitchen, they spot Ren and Athena making breakfast. Ren was making his signature pancakes that Nora loved so very very much, alongside bacon and eggs. Athena on the other hand was making coffee, yogurt with fresh fruit and slicing up some carrot cake. Neo was already at the small island bar, enjoying a plate of fresh pancakes that had a small smiley face made out of two eggs sunny side up for the eyes, bacon for a smile and one square piece of butter for the nose. Ruby’s eyes sparkle at the amazing display of food. “Oh wow! This looks soooo good!” She squeals as she bursts into rose petals once more to launch herself into the barstool and sit on top.

“Ahaha well I was going to cook all of you breakfast myself, but your friend here insisted on helping me. Apparently, he’s known back at school as the pancake king, is that true?” Athena asks her daughter, giving her a motherly smile as she sprinkles a few blueberries and granola pieces into a cup of yogurt.

“Heh he certainly was, and Nora was his queen. Those days take me back.” Pyrrha sighs in remembrance for the good ole days of Beacon where they didn’t have to worry about saving the world and all that they had to concern themselves over was being good students and warriors. “By the way, I’m surprised Nora isn’t up yet. I expected her to be right beside her man begging for more pancakes.”

“Well, she didn’t want to wake up and get ready. So unfortunate for her, I decided to make breakfast without her. Plus, this means that all of us can have a chance to eat some pancakes before she devours all of them.” Ren laughs softly, flipping a pancake before sliding it onto a large stack of pancakes. “I’d give her another five minutes before she shows up.”

“Well, I gotta start eating as fast as I can then! I don’t want to miss out on your pancakes!” Ruby says as she prepares herself a plate of food and quickly starts to eat it all. She let’s out a loud hum of delight. “Mmm! This is as good as it looks!” Ruby compliments as she takes another forkful of pancakes.

Neo slides her plate over the counter, not a single crumb left on the plate as she stretches her arms. “ **If being your teammate means that I can get delicious breakfasts like this all the time, well I think I’ve hit the jackpot then.** ” Neo signs with a giggle. Ren puts his hands together and gives a silent bow to Neo as thanks before getting back to cooking.

Neo pats the barstool right next to her, wanting Pyrrha to sit down and eat. Pyrrha gives a smile and approaches the island, sitting down on the stool as she looks at her mother. “What do you want sweetie? Anything in particular?” Athena asks as she gets a plate for Pyrrha.

“Umm I think just a few pancakes and eggs, as well as fruit will be fine.” Pyrrha says. Her mother nods and prepares her plate before setting it in front of the spartan. Pyrrha takes an eager look at her plate and digs her fork into the pancake before quickly bringing it inside her mouth. She chews on it for a moment before a look of realization came to her eyes. She still couldn’t taste it. They tasted like nothing.

Athena notices this and looks at her daughter. “Is something wrong dear?” She asks with concern.

Pyrrha shakes her head and puts on a false smile. “Nothing’s wrong mother! They taste perfect!” She says as she takes another bite to emphasize her point. However, Neo knew what was really going on. She puts her hand on Pyrrha’s shoulder for support and gives the spartan a small smile. Pyrrha smiles back and takes another bite of her food. Despite her not being able to enjoy the delicious looking breakfast, she knew that she still needs to eat. Besides, in a roundabout way, eating with friends is making her feel better already.

A few moments would pass as soon the rest of the crew would walk down the stairs and smell the delicious meal, save for Nora who is still somehow asleep. Yang pumps her mechanical fist in the air. “Aw hell yeah! Ren’s pancakes are the best! And is that bacon I smell too?” She asks as she sniffs the air before giving a happy sigh.

Blake pats her shoulder tenderly and gets her to sit down at the table. “Thank you so much for cooking this breakfast for us Mrs. Nikos and Ren.” She says as she prepares two plates of food, one for her and one for Yang. She sits down next to Yang and starts to eat her delicious food.

“Yes, thank you so very much! I haven’t had food this good since… well Beacon I guess. Ren’s pancakes were always better than the ones that the butlers made at home. I was never able to put my finger on why though.” Weiss says as she gets a plate of her own.

“These eggs taste very fresh, just like the ones back at my farm. Did you get them from a market?” Oscar asks as he eats his food.

“I did actually! I’ve always preferred going to the farmers themselves for my products. They always taste better.” Athena smiles as she finishes making the last parfait.

Qrow takes a plate of pancakes and puts a forkful in his mouth, letting out a satisfied chuckle. “Man, it’s been so long since I had some delicious pancakes.” He comments.

As if on que, a loud rumbling can be heard from upstairs. Rapid thuds echo throughout the mansion and before anyone could question who was making all the sounds, Nora, appearing right by Ren in a huge flash of pink lightning, eyes sparking with energy asks. “Did somebody say something about delicious pancakes?!”

The sudden appearance of Nora, drool leaking out from her mouth as she stares at the pancakes, causes the group of friends to give a chuckle. Qrow gives a whistle as he looks at Nora. “Never knew you had such good hearing Thunder Shock.” He chuckles as he picks up his flask, stares at it briefly before throwing it away.

“Well, let’s just say that I have a second semblance that I like to call Sweets Detection! It allows me to use my senses to pick up the locations of any sweets!” Nora grins, as she quickly picks up a plate and stacks it full of pancakes, bacon, sausage, and fruit. Afterall, a heavy hitting girl like her needs her calories so that she can continue being the powerhouse.

Ren gives a small sigh as he starts to help Athena clean up the kitchen. “You don’t have a second semblance Nora. You’re just hyper fixated on anything that looks good.” He tells the ginger haired girl before putting several dishes into the dishwasher.

“Hey, you can believe what you want to believe, and I can believe what I want to believe.” Nora teases sticking her tongue out before taking a humongous bite out of the stacks of pancakes. Knowing no sense of table manners, Nora speaks with her mouth full, though surprisingly very few crumbs are spat out. “So, when do we have to steal the air ship?”

Athena smiles at what Nora said, not registering it for a brief moment until her daughter says. “Hurry up and finish eating, then we will head out.”

This causes Athena’s eyes to dilate in shock as she drops a plate onto the floor, thankfully not breaking it this time. “YOU’RE GOING TO STEAL AN ATLAS AIRSHIP?!” She shouts as she stares at her daughter.

Pyrrha gives a small wince at the outburst, knowing that her mother would’ve reacted like this. Neo gives a soft whistle, as if mocking Pyrrha for getting in trouble with her mother. Taking a deep sigh Pyrrha looks straight into her mother’s eyes. “Yes, we are Mother. More specifically, Team RWBY, Oscar and Qrow are. We’re just helping them with the heist.”

“But why would you do that?! Don’t you know how powerful their military is?”

“I do Mother. But we need to get them to Atlas and to meet Ironwood. They need his help for something that’s a matter of life and death.” Pyrrha explained, not wanting to delve into all the specifics of their quest. Her mother is under enough stress as is from knowing that they’re going to be stealing from the military, she doesn’t need to know about Salem and everything else. “My team and I are going to Vacuo too. We know that there’s a boat that leaves for there later today, we have our own quest to handle there.”

Athena’s heart seems to have broke at this revelation that Pyrrha won’t be staying with her for much longer. She lifts up her glasses and rubs her eyes, trying to clear them of any tears. “But I just got you back… now you have to leave me again?” She utters softly.

Pyrrha feels her heart sinking in her chest as she slowly walks over to her mother, embracing her into a tight hug. “I know mom. I’m sorry that I have to leave you again so soon but, I don’t have any other option. Many lives are at stake here.” Pyrrha says as she rubs her mother’s back. “But I promise to come back home to you and Father. And I never break my promises.” Pyrrha tells her mother as she separates from the hug.

Athena gives her daughter a gentle smile. “You’ve changed so much Pyrrha.”

“In more ways than one.” Pyrrha solemnly agrees, remembering how shifted her moral compass is now.

“But no matter how much you’ve changed, you will always be my daughter. And for that I will always love you.” Athena sobs softly, getting overcome with emotions. Seeing her mother cry is causing Pyrrha herself start to tear up just a tiny bit. Everyone looks at the mother daughter duo with a heartwarming smile, feeling warmth build up inside their chests.

The sound of a fork hitting a plate can be heard breaking this tender moment as everyone looks over at Nora, who is blushing brightly. “Oops! Uh… my hand slipped.” She giggles nervously, giving a small shrug.

Athena gives a soft chuckle. “You go on ahead and get prepared to steal that airship. I’ll be waiting for you to come back and when you do, I’ll make a very special dinner for all of us.” She says with a smile.

“Thank you, Mother. I’ll try to write when I can.” Pyrrha says as she leads the gang to the living quarters of the house to go over the plan.

Once everyone was seated, Pyrrha steps up to the front of the room. “Okay everyone, here’s the plan.”

“ **You know, I’ve noticed that you say, “Okay everyone” and “I’m Sorry” a lot. We should get that printed on a shirt for you.** ” Neo teases with a wink causing Pyrrha to roll her eyes.

“Oh, you should’ve seen her back at Beacon! She couldn’t last ten seconds without saying “I’m sorry” to something!” Ruby brings up with a smile, much to the Spartan’s dismay.

“Ruby, stop enabling her. Neo, my offer of giving you a new necklace still stands.” Pyrrha threatens, clenching her fist and performing a motion that resembles pulling something out from a person’s body.

Neo gives a small gulp and backs down, signing. “ **You know on second thought; I don’t need a new necklace.** ” She signs.

“Good. Now back to business. Here’s the plan. Oscar and Ruby, you two are the smallest people in your team, so you can hide in Weiss’s comically large suitcases.” Pyrrha tells them, eliciting a “Hey!” from the Ice Queen. “Weiss, your job is to look depressed at the aspect of you leaving your friends behind as you know it’s your job as a “dutiful daughter” to go back home.”

“Ugh… I think I can manage without that “dutiful daughter” aspect. Plus, you know how terrible my acting is. I just hope that SOMEONE doesn’t laugh like a hyena while locked inside my suitcase.” Weiss shouts, glaring at Ruby.

“Hey! I can be quiet when I want to!” Ruby retorts.

“Really now? Then can you be quiet now so I can continue explaining the rest of my plan?” Pyrrha asks with a smirk.

“You got it!” Ruby smiles, zipping her lips and throwing the zipper away.

Pyrrha nods her head as she looks over to Qrow, Yang and Blake. “You three have the most important jobs. In about forty minutes there will be a change in shift for the troops stationed at the base. What we will do is that we will sabotage three troops who are making their way towards the base. You three will steal their clothes and ID access cards, then Neo will use her semblance to disguise you three. Then you will continue on, pretending to be those three people and infiltrate from the inside. An hour later, Weiss will come to the base to go home. PNNR and I will be there as well to see her off and to make sure that nothing goes wrong. The idea is that when the station is ready to send Weiss home, they will want to give her a personal guard, which you three will volunteer to do. Once everyone is inside the ship and a fair distance away from Argus, Neo will deactivate her semblance allowing you guys to sneak up on the pilots and force him out of the ship with a parachute. We don’t need to kill anyone if we don’t have to.” Pyrrha explains to everyone.

“This sounds like a good plan. I have a good feeling about this.” Blake says with a smile.

“You sounded just like Jaune there Pyrrha. I’m certain he would be proud.” Ren tells her, causing the spartan to blush softly and get a small smile. To be compared to her lover and old leader, it makes her heart a flutter as she knows that she’s living up to his name and role as a leader.

Refocusing herself to what’s on hand, she takes a look at everyone. “If there are no questions, let’s go pull this off before it’s too late.” Pyrrha says. Everyone gives her a nod of determination as they get up from their seats and get themselves ready for the mission.

Once everyone was ready, Qrow, Yang, Blake, Ren, Nora and Neo wait by the door for Pyrrha, who was talking to her mother. “Pyrrha, please stay safe.” Athena asks.

“I can’t give any guarantees, but I will try my best to come back to you in one piece.” Pyrrha smiles giving her mother one last hug for the foreseeable future. Pyrrha then turns her attention towards Oscar and walks up to him. “Be safe you country bumpkin. Remember, you’re not Ozpin, and you will never be Ozpin if I can help it.” Pyrrha tells him with a reaffirming smile.

“Thank you Pyrrha… I promise you, the next time we meet, I will still be me.” Oscar affirms the tall spartan. Pyrrha rustles his hair, causing the young boy to let out a small “Hey!” in response before fixing his hair.

Pyrrha then goes over to Ruby and stares into her eyes for a brief moment before giving the smaller girl a tight hug. “You be careful Ruby. Once we’ve completed our missions, let’s try to meet back at where we all started. Who knows what the future may hold for us? But we won’t let that uncertainty hold us back.” Pyrrha tells her, separating from the warm embrace.

“You stay safe too Pyrrha. I promise you; I won’t let the unknown stop me. I will persevere, no matter the cost. No matter what, you will always be my friend and I will help you avoid the dark path that consumed you all those months ago.” Ruby says with a smile. Ruby, the woman who sought to forgive Pyrrha despite all the torture that she made the poor young girl go through, is still determined to help her friend. Were it not for the kindness that Ruby showed Pyrrha, and for Neo’s help and company, who knows where Pyrrha may be right now.

Pyrrha smiles back and gives the huntress one last hug before going back to her group. “Remember to come down in one hour. We will meet you halfway there.” Pyrrha says before leaving with the rest of the group.

As the group makes their way through Argus, they find a shady alleyway to wait and ambush three unfortunate Atlas guards. They wouldn’t have to wait long as conveniently three guards who were walking together cross the alley, talking to each other without much of a care. Using Neo’s semblance to hide themselves from the public, Qrow, Yang and Blake sneak up on the guards, putting them into a sleeper hold before hitting a pressure point on their shoulder, causing them to fall unconscious. After a brief moment to put on their new clothes and get their disguise from Neo, the three imposters leave the alleyway without much suspicion and continue as if nothing bad ever occurred.

Feeling bad about causing these three guards to go unconscious, Nora slumps their bodies, against the wall and places a coupon for a free ice cream cone that she got from last night. Pyrrha rolls her eyes and takes out her bag, remembering that large bounty she collected long ago. She places 100,000 lien on top of the wallets for each of the guards as a way of saying sorry while still having about 200,000 lien left.

Still under the illusion of Neo’s semblance, they quickly sneak their way to a nearby park, sit down on a bench and wait patiently for Weiss. An hour passes and they soon notice Weiss walking down the streets of Atlas by herself. Team PNNR quickly group up with her and help roll out the massive luggage that a rich girl like Weiss would have. Once they arrived at the base, they knock on the door asking for the general. “What what what?! Didn’t I tell you that no one can go to Atlas except for the Schnee daughter?!” Asks an older and very short woman dressed in the garb of a high-ranking soldier. Neo looks at the woman and gives a surprised gasp at the fact that she’s actually taller than someone for once. This is a welcome surprise as she gives a smug smile and tips her hat.

“I’m sorry General Cordovin, but we’re just here to see our friend off to Atlas.” Pyrrha says, talking in her old voice to give the general a sense of familiarity.

Hearing the familiar voice, Cordovin’s cold stare softens at the sight of the Pride of Mistral. “Oh! Pyrrha Nikos! It’s so good to see you alive! Everyone at Argus has been worried sick about you. Most people ended up thinking that you were dead but not me. I always knew that you were alive!” Cordovin states proudly, her massive arrogance really compensating for her small stature.

Pyrrha laughs it off, this woman is already getting on her nerves as she tries to keep calm. “Well, it’s been a very long journey but I’m just glad to finally be home! It was such a coincidence that we ended up running into Weiss here, so we decided to see her home.” Pyrrha explains, hoping to rush things along.

Nora’s eyes start to water as she lets out a loud bawl. “PLEASE DON’T LEAVE US!!! WE’LL MISS YOU SO MUCH!!! JUST IMAGINE HOW DISTRAUGHT RUBY WILL BE WHEN SHE FINDS OUT THAT YOU DECIDED TO LEAVE WITHOUT HER KNOWING!!!” Nora cries loudly as she hugs Weiss tightly. When Cordovin couldn’t see her face, she gives a wicked grin towards Ren and Neo, who give the ginger a thumbs up to keep up the act. Nora then continues her rain of crocodile tears as she bawls louder and louder.

Weiss rolls her eyes and pries Nora off of her, the woman falling to the ground on her bum. “Get off you dolt! We weren’t supposed to tell her that I was leaving!” Weiss scolds, wagging her finger at Nora.

Cordovin rolls her eyes at the pathetic display of the ginger before opening the gate for Weiss. “Well come on, let’s go get a ship prepared for you and get you a personal guard.” She says, welcoming Weiss forward.

She nods her head and turns back towards Team PNNR. “Well… thank you for all the memories. I promise that I’ll cherish them forever. I really do wish it could’ve gone some other way but, this is how it was meant to be.” Weiss sighs.

“It’s okay Weiss. Besides, this isn’t goodbye. We will see you again.” Ren tells her with a calm smile.

“ **You’ll hear about me quite easily no doubt. I always tend to be the main focus of gossip.** ” Neo signs with a smug smile.

“Take care Weiss.” Pyrrha says, giving the whitehaired girl a brief hug.

“You too Pyrrha.” She says, returning the hug before separating. Weiss turns around and looks at Cordovin, who has called for a personal guard consisting of three soldiers that Weiss has most definitely never met before. The guards give Weiss a knowing wink before escorting the Ice Queen to the airship.

The gates would soon close behind them as Team PNNR stand still, a smile on their face. They see the airship take off from the landing pad and fly up north towards the snowy tundra that awaited them. Once the ship was a good distance away, Neo releases her semblance and falls to the ground, panting heavily as she’s definitely not used to holding her semblance for that long and for such a great distance. Pyrrha goes over to support Neo, arms wrapped around her shoulders. “Are you okay?” She asks back in the old familiar tone that Neo, Nora and Ren have grown accustomed to.

Neo nods her head and has Pyrrha help her back up to her feet. “ **I’m just really not used to holding my semblance for that long and with such a great distance.** ” she signs, wiping some sweat off of her forehead.

Nora reaches into her pockets and digs around a bit before finally pulling out a candy bar. “Here! You look tired! Have some sugar to get you energized back up!” Nora smiles, waving the candy in front of Neo’s face.

Neo snatches the candy bar and unwraps it. She takes a small bite out of it and lets out a pleased giggle at the sweet. Holding the candy bar in between her teeth, Neo signs “ **Ah sugar! How I love you so!** ”

“I’m assuming that you said thank you, so you’re welcome!” Nora smiles, still oblivious to whatever Neo just said.

“We really need to teach you sign language.” Pyrrha says flatly as the group starts to walk away from the military base.

Nora let’s out a sad moan as she slumps her shoulders. “Yeah, I know…”

Ren rubs Nora’s back comfortingly and tells her. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you. Thankfully, you’re a fast learner so you shouldn’t have too much trouble with this.”

“I’m a fast learner in anything but math and chemistry.” Nora points out.

“Nora, does sign language have anything to do with math or Chemistry? No, it doesn’t.” Pyrrha tells the slightly airheaded girl with a fond smile.

“Hey! Stop teasing me! Pick on Nora day isn’t until October 7th!” Nora proclaims, crossing her arms and pouting.

“Isn’t that the day before your birthday?” Pyrrha asks.

“Yeah… I just came up with a random date to be honest.” Nora sighs, tapping her fingers together.

Neo gives a small hum and smirks. October 7th is definitely a date that she will have to remember for later. It’s almost July, so she has plenty of time to come up with a large repertoire of teases and jokes for the poor unaware girl.

A few hours would pass and soon, Team PNNR finds themselves boarding a boat that’s leaving for Vacuo. With little fanfare, the boat leaves the dock and starts it’s long journey towards the country. Team PNNR look out into the sea, standing side by side. Pyrrha looks at her friends, seeing the light from the setting sun reflecting off of them. She looks back out to the horizon and gives a relaxed sigh. It feels like she’s been through so much already, yet she knows that this is only just the beginning of her new adventure that she’s taking with those she cares the most about. Looking down at her chest, she plays with one of the strings of Jaune’s hoodie, rubbing it in between her fingers as she remembers how she started alone and hid behind a mask. But now, she can throw away her mask for she doesn’t have to be alone anymore. Neo, Ren and Nora will stay by her side through thick and thin, just like how she will be there for them. “Vacuo awaits us. Let’s give it our best.”

**_Well everyone, this is the end of Volume 1 of Vindicta! It’s been a long journey but I’m so glad to have been able to take this journey alongside all of you! Now to answer some questions that you may be asking._ **

**_Will you be writing more volumes to this story? Yes, I will! The current plan right now is for me to write three more volumes of this series. Right now, I will be taking a break so that I can recollect my steam. I can’t say for certain when the first chapter of Volume 2 will come out, but I do plan on starting work on it by Summer._ **

**_What will Volume 2 entail? Will we see Team RWBY at all? To avoid giving a lot of spoilers, Volume 2 will stay focused on Team PNNR with chapters featuring Cinder, Adam, Cinder’s faction and a very special group that I can’t wait to show you. Unfortunately, we won’t see much about Team RWBY’s escapades in Atlas, though assume that it’s essentially the same as what Volumes 7-8 are currently. (This is being written before the conclusion of Vol 8)_ **

**_So how many changes to the lore do you plan on? Currently, I have several drafts and ideas on changes to the lore and canon I would like to make. I’m not positive on going through with them just yet but I would like to make this feel more of it’s own universe than strictly following canon._ **

**_What are some of the planned character arcs? To not spoil everything, I will name only a few. Nora will be going through a similar arc that she is going through in vol 8, though there will be several key differences, especially in regard to her relationship with Ren. Ren himself will be going through a personal struggle as he evaluates himself in regard to his team. While everyone is getting stronger and mastering their semblances in combat, Ren will start to think that he’s slowing his team down and that his semblance is only useful against Grimm. Nora of course will be helping him as well. Currently, both have a very satisfying outcome to their character arcs planned!_ **

****

**_Are we allowed to make art/music/dramatic readings/radio plays and/or fanfics based off of the Vindicta universe? Of course you can! My goal as a creator is to spread creativity towards my audience and encourage them to create! Whether it be something as complex as an animation to something more simple like a poem, as long as I can get you to create and express your love for my creation, then I will be happy! All I ask is that you simply credit me for the being the original creator of the Vindicta AU._ **

**_You said something about introducing a very special team. What is this team that you’re introducing? I’m glad you asked! Without any need of saying anything further, please take a look!_ **

****

“Professor Straw? You have guests waiting outside your office.” Says a soft masculine voice through the intercom that rests on a messy desk, overloaded with papers, chess pieces and what appears to be sewing materials.

A slumping figure is seen in a large wooden chair before scrambling back up, dazed and confused from the sudden interruption of her daydream. She has long golden hair tied up into a ponytail, with soft brown eyes hiding behind a pair of round glasses. Her face looked soft and squishy, almost as if her cheeks were like a cushion of hay, her freckles most certainly didn’t help make her face look cute. She was wearing a plaid cotton shirt, with a brown felt overall dress on top. She had what appears to be stitches on several parts of her tan skin such as across her forehead, on her neck, her biceps and around her ankles, no doubt these being scars from her previous battles. She pushes the button on the intercom, quickly fixing her hair and speaks in a thick country accent. “Go ahead and send them in sugar cube!” She says before turning off the intercom and unplugging it. She quickly readjusts her desk, throwing some papers onto the ground and into random drawers while tidying up her chess board and quickly solving a puzzle cube in the matter of seconds. She readjusts her name plate that reads “Professor Corvy Straw” before sitting upright in her chair as she hears the doors to her barn like office open.

“Headmaster Straw? Did you need to see us?” Asks a confident feminine voice.

“We hope we weren’t intruding.” Asks a gentle feminine voice with a proper accent.

“No, you weren’t! I was just in the middle of my siesta! I can resume it later after I talk to you four!” She laughs, before motioning towards the comfortable looking chairs that rested in front of her desk. “Please take a seat!”

“So what do you need us for? Another mission to handle some Grimm?” Asks a gruff male voice as the group of four take a seat.

“No, not this time. I have something very important to tell you.” Corvy pauses as she dims the lights in her office and close the blinds. She locks the door to her office with the press of a button on her desk. Once all the precautions were taken care of, she looks at the group of four. “Team CFVY, ever since you four have arrived here at Shade Academy, you’ve gone far and beyond the call of duty.”

“Well thank you for the praise! But no need to applaud us, we’re just doing our job professor.” Replies Coco as she adjusts her shades. “Velvet, Fox and Yatsuhashi have each helped lift their own load of our responsibility, so it’s no wonder that we’re able to get stuff done before other teams have had a chance to start.” She boasts, proud of how skilled her team is.

She gets nudged by Velvet, who had her rabbit ears slightly pinned back. “Now’s not the time for boasting. What did you need to tell us Professor Straw?”

Straw gives a small smile. ‘ _Oh, I love this part!_ ’ She thinks to herself before clearing her throat. “Tell me. What’s your favorite fairy tale? Is it the Tale of the two brothers? Or perhaps it is the tale of the Four Maidens? Maybe it’s even the tale of the Man with Two Souls? That one is my favorite.” Straw asks as she mindlessly taps on her desk.

“Uh… I guess I enjoy the tale of the Witch of the Woods.” Coco replies, not exactly sure how to feel about this odd question.

“Tale of Two Brothers for me.” Fox replies as quickly as it took for him to think of an answer.

“Well… I was always fond of the Four Maidens, ever since I was a wee little kit.” Velvet smiled, remembering her fond memories of her mother and father reading the tale to her and her many siblings.

“I suppose the Man with Two Souls. Something about how it’s told always struck a chord with me.” The large mountain of a man named Yatsuhashi says with a soft voice.

“All good options my students. Now what if I told you that they’re all real. That every single fairy tale that you’ve been told in life has been past historical events of Remnant.” Corvy tells the team of hunters. She was expecting to see their shocked and confused expressions, which brought a smile to her face as she has perfectly calculated this response. “Now I know that this may be hard to believe, so let me explain everything to you. Starting with the Witch of the Woods, otherwise known as Salem.”


End file.
